Sweetly Shaken
by Synthetic-Skywalker
Summary: After too many years of being single and alone, Obi-Wan is in serious need of love, even if he wants to deny it. Once he finds it, he's afraid to let go. SLASH. Obi/Ani. Set to be somewhat modern.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yes, my obsession with Obi/Ani is now influencing my writing. I've been toying around with the idea of writing a modern setting fic and I finally got around to doing it! If you don't like Obi-Wan and Anakin as a couple, then please don't read it. I didn't force you to. It says slash in the summary as well…  
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**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

I've been having many sleepless nights nowadays and it was partially because of the fact that I'm overworking myself with two jobs, but it was mainly because I was receiving frequent calls at very late hours into the night and early into the morning from my pregnant friend, Satine Kryze. She and I have been friends since I was young and she had a crush on me. Unfortunately, I already knew that I wasn't interested in her. Now that I'm thirty seven years old, I've come to terms with being the way I am. I've kept to myself even after moving several times to get away from past lives, past memories. I thought starting over in Coruscant, a very large industrial city, would do me some good, but I find myself even lonelier. I had plenty of good friends here, friends I'd not seen in a few years, but I still felt lonely.

My home city, Stewjon, was pleasant, but it held too much sadness for me. My father's friend, Qui-Gon Jinn, took me in after both of my parents died in a tragic fire, and he and I grew very close. He was probably around two or three times my age, and he'd waited until I was eighteen before admitting that he had feelings for me. I'd learned in high school that I was attracted to men, and I'd been attracted to Qui-Gon too. We had a romance during the first two years of my college experience, and then he was brutally murdered while trying to save some kids from a gunman.

That was when I decided I wanted to focus my studies on criminology. I still became a college professor like Qui-Gon encouraged me to because it was something I'd wanted since middle school, but I also became a cop. I was determined to find Qui-Gon's killer, but I never could. That was over a decade ago. To this day, I have not looked for romance of any sort. Love is too painful.

As soon as the phone rang, I already had it to my ear. "Yes, Satine?" I said with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose with the other hand.

"_Actually, Mister Kenobi, it's Ferus, from your literature class._" My face burned bright red and I nodded, knowing he wouldn't see it. "_You gave out your cell number to me earlier in the year because my mom said I needed extra tutoring._"

"I know, Mister Olin," I whispered. I had the feeling that the boy had an attraction of some sort to me and I'd immediately attempted to discourage it as soon as I saw the signs. "Is there a reason as to why you've called me at," I shifted to look at the clock on my nightstand beside my bed, "three in the morning?"

He sounded nervous and I closed my eyes. "_Well, I just wanted to hear your voice._"

I grabbed my shoe from the floor and hit it against my nightstand a few times. "Mister Olin, I have a visitor. I'm afraid I have to leave. We'll speak in class." Before he could say another word, I hung up and put the phone back on the receiver, sighing. I laid back in bed and was about ready to shut off the lights in my apartment and a _real_ knock hit the door. "I swear to the heavens that I will kill someone before the night is out," I grumbled, throwing the blanket back, my legs over the side of the bed, and stood, shuffling towards the door.

I opened it to see my very annoying best friend. "Obi!" he exclaimed. His arms were around me in a matter of seconds and I felt like the life was squeezed out of me.

"Son of a bitch, Quinlan. I was just getting ready to go to sleep. What the hell are you doing coming here at three in the morning?" He chuckled at my outburst. I normally wasn't one to use profanities, but I did when I was stressed and or tired. Right now, it was a bit of both. He waltzed into my apartment and I shut the door. He immediately made his way to my bed and plopped down on it. "Get out, Quin. Go home."

"Can't. Aayla kicked me out," he said nonchalantly.

"What'd you do this time?" I asked, rolling my eyes. He and Aayla Secura had a very rocky relationship, which is why I was deterred from relationships. They're a lot of work. "Let me guess," I said, drumming my fingers on my dresser. "You asked if you could invite me over for a threesome again, didn't you?" His silence was enough of an answer. "You're a twisted bastard, Quin. I hope you know that."

He burst into laughter, nearly crying in the process. I watched him, not amused. Whatever it was that he found funny, I didn't. I never found anything he did funny. "You love me for the twisted bastard that I am! If not for me, you'd have no social life whatsoever!"

"You're my partner at work, Quin."

"We've been friends since high school, Wan," he countered. "I've always brought you along to my parties. I brought you birthday presents every year for the last, what, twenty-two years?"

I sighed. "One night. That's it. Got it?" He did a small victory cry before getting under the blanket. He turned on his side so that he'd be facing away from me. That had been our pact since high school because he'd run away so much and crept into the home I shared with Qui-Gon. Quin and our mutual friend, Luminara, were the only two who knew I was a homosexual. Quin loved to tease me, but it was never meant to sound like he was ridiculing me for my sexuality. Despite my thinking he's an ass at times, he's always been there for me.

I crawled in beside him and laid on my back. I smiled up at the ceiling at the thought of how we'd become friends. It had been in our gym class. A couple of the junior guys thought it would be funny to mess with the gay guy, and Quin got tired of them. He saw them follow me to the locker room where they'd beaten me up. I wasn't much of a fighter, but Quin certainly was. From the moment he got those boys off of me and held his hand out for me, introducing himself as Vos, he'd become my best friend.

"Hey, Obi?" he asked after I turned off the light.

"Yes, Quin?"

"You seriously need a love life." I sighed and rolled onto my side, facing away from him. "I'm not kidding. All you do now is work, work, grade some papers, sleep if you can, and then begin the cycle again. You haven't gotten laid since the night you got drunk and went home to your _guardian._"

"Shut up and go to sleep, Quin."

He chuckled in the dark. "You still as gay as you were in high school?"

"Yes."

He paused and that worried me. "You're a teacher. You teach legal aged boys. One of 'em has to have the hots for you, Mister Kenobi." I rolled over and smacked his arm. "When we go out on watch tomorrow night, we're stalking some kids from your class."

"I'd rather not…"

"We had a deal to alternate driving the car. Tomorrow is my night to drive, so I can drive where I want to drive, Obi." I rolled over again and huffed, crossing my arms over my chest, choosing to ignore him. He was definitely a good friend, but there were times when he needed to _not _interfere in my life. He knew about Qui-Gon, and he understood my aversion to love as a result of it. Every time he came over, he pushed the love issue because I was very lacking in the sex department. "See you in the morning, Obi."

I mumbled a good night to him and that was where the conversation ended for the night. I was so thankful for that.

**Later that day.**

I spent the entire afternoon teaching my literature class and I felt like we were finally getting somewhere while discussing Shakespeare. Some of the shy students began to speak up. Yes, the year had just begun, but these freshman were with people their own age and most of them already knew each other. "Professor Kenobi?"

That damn voice. I didn't understand why Ferus kept wanting to talk to me. I knew he liked me, but I wished he would take a hint. I didn't return his feelings, nor did I intend on it. I sighed and glanced over in his direction. "Yes, Mister Olin?"

"For our assignment, does the essay need to be done on Shakespeare personally or on his works? I know you want us to relate to our lives and our thoughts about the future, but I'm confused about the other part."

Again, I sighed. "I wrote specifically that it was to relate any one of his works to your life now and in the future." He nodded and thanked me and I continued the discussion from where we'd left off. Barriss Offee was certainly feeling more comfortable with the current atmosphere. This was the most I'd heard her speak in the last few weeks. When I'd called her name the first day, her voice had been barely above a whisper and now she spoke with quite a bit of authority and passion. I could tell that she, like myself, enjoyed Shakespeare.

I glanced at my watch half an hour later, moments before the bell rang. "Thank God," one of Ferus' friends whispered as he stood up, his books and such already collected. He sprinted to the door and was on his way to his next class.

"You're all dismissed," I said to the other students who were still in the classroom. "Remember that your essays are due in two classes." Everyone nodded as they packed up and left. This was my lunch break and I was grateful for it. Luminara worked here with me and it was always pleasant to share lunch with someone I was familiar with, someone who I could talk to about anything other than weather and classes.

Ferus, my normal straggler, stood slowly and wandered over to my desk just as Luminara walked through the doorway. She always had impeccable timing and I smiled at her. "Lunch date?" she asked, raising her lunch bag with a small smile.

"Of course." I moved towards my desk, leaning to grab my own pack. I was able to avoid Ferus and his attraction to me as I left with her. She knew he stayed after for me. He assumed that I would give him a better grade if he slept with me, but I would not and could not do that. Quin would encourage me to just so I could get into bed with someone, but I was entirely against that. If I were to bring anyone into bed with me, it would be someone I loved, and that was very unlikely.

"Did Quinlan get to you again last night? You have bags under your eyes, my dear." She, though a few years younger than me, always seemed like a mother figure to me. I met her in my senior year while she was a freshman and she, like Quinlan, stuck around with me. "Was he pressuring you to sleep with someone again?"

I sighed and nodded. "We're patrolling the city tonight. He said we're going to stalk some kids from my class." She rolled her eyes and smiled, her hair falling out of its ponytail. "He and Aayla are having issues again, so he's pushing love in my direction."

She shook her head. "He's been as worried about you as I have been, Obi-Wan. You haven't been the same since, well, since Qui-Gon." I nodded slowly as we walked towards our lounge. "I think it would be good for you to go out with someone. I know you're not one for one night stands and such, but you should play the field and look for someone, don't you think? You've been alone for almost twenty years, sweetie. That can't be a happy life."

I shrugged. "I've lived thus far. I have a few boys who have taken some interest in me. I'm just not looking for love right now." She tugged on my wrist, making me stop to face her. I sighed and bowed my head. "I miss him and I feel like I'll betray him if I'm with someone else. I made a life commitment to him. It wasn't marriage, but I told him I was his."

"Love will come to you when you least expect it, but you must open yourself up, sweetie."

"No thanks," I murmured, walking past her to enter the lounge. I sat in my seat and she joined me a few moments later. We each pulled our sandwiches and drinks out, eating in silence. The tension between us was tangible. She knew how Quinlan annoyed me by constantly pestering me with the lack of sex and love in my life and she knew how much it bothered me to get some insight from her on the subject as well. Her love life was perfect. She'd met a good man in high school. Kit Fisto treated her with as much respect and love as she deserved and they married roughly five years ago after many years of dating.

My cell phone rang in my pocket and I cursed under my breath. "It's got to be Quinlan," she added quietly before I answered.

"Yes?"

"_Hey, cutie._"

I put my hand over the receiver. "Yes, it's Quin." She smiled as I moved my hand. "What is it, Quin?"

"_Awe. No cute pet name for me?_" I rolled my eyes. "_Actually, I'm calling about our case. That woman we were going to interrogate today was shot three times in the chest. I'm not sure who the hell did it, but they stormed the office and took out a few men. Mace is pissed._"

That was the most…maturity Quinlan had ever displayed. "Do you need me to come in?"

"_Are your classes done?_"

"Yes. Luminara and I are eating lunch. I can come in afterwards. All I was going to do for the rest of the day was grade papers for my class tomorrow."

"_Boring!_" he whined. All the maturity in his voice was gone and I sighed. "_Tell Lumi I say hello! I'll see you after your lunch break then?_"

"Quin says hello," I said to her. She nodded and said it in return. He could hear her through the phone, so I continued on with our conversation. "Yes. I'll be there right after lunch. Keep me posted on activity at the station. We just brought a brute in the other night. If he escapes, we're screwed."

"_Grievous isn't going anywhere, Obi. He's been our priority since I was called in. I've got several men posted outside of his cell. I'll call you if anything happens before you get here. Drive safely, sleepyhead._"

I laughed softly. "I'll drive safely and see you soon. You be careful. He's deadly."

"_Awe. I'm pleased to see your concern for me!_"

"Shut up or I'll let him out and say it was a tragic accident." He chuckled and we said our goodbyes. We went back to eating in silence and it was comfortable rather than tense. I was concerned, however. The case Quin and I have been working on may involve a serial killer of some sort and we have yet to find links between the victims. It wasn't even like the sex and age of the victims were the same. The youngest was a seventeen year old girl, the oldest being a sixty year old man. The variations were too different to pinpoint a similarity. Age, race, and gender were out of the question. Some notes were being left at the scene of the crime though, and it appeared that maybe our killer held a grudge against some of the victims.

"You look preoccupied. What's going on at the station?"

I set my drink back down before I could sip from it. "We lost a potential witness as well as some other officers." Her eyes widened. "Quin and I will find out what's going on tonight. He was able to get some information from the woman last week. It may prove useful now, but that's hard to know at this moment."

She rested her hand above mine and stared at me sadly. "Don't let this wear you out, dear." I nodded and she continued. "I worry about you a lot. You've been looking deathly ill since you received this case. I've almost asked Quin to get you taken off of it because I'm afraid of something happening to you."

I smiled warmly and rested my other hand above hers. "I'll be all right. I've got Quinlan to cover me." We both laughed quietly after that statement. "He'll take care of me. He always has." She nodded and lifted my hand to kiss my knuckles.

"I want you both to be safe. You aren't gods, though I'm sure Quinlan likes thinking of himself as one."

I smirked. I was grateful to have her on my side in regards to a lot of things about Quin. A lot of the officers at the station thought he was insane, but they respected and adored him. They respected me, but I wasn't as adorable as Quin. I wasn't flirtatious, so no one paid much attention to me unless they needed me to help them with a case. "We'll be okay. If I don't make it in by tomorrow morning, tell Mundi I'm ill."

"Do try to sleep tonight, all right?"

I nodded and finished off my drink, putting the remnants of my lunch back into my pack. "If I get home before midnight, I'll call you and let you know that I'll be into work tomorrow. If I don't call, I'm more than likely not going to show up."

We both stood at the same time and she came closer to embrace me, something she did almost on a daily basis. I wasn't much for physical affections, but I did appreciate having her there to show me she cared and worried. "Take care of yourself. I expect to hear from you either tonight or tomorrow morning. I have a free period first period, so call me if you don't come to work just so my mind is at ease."

I chuckled and nodded, rubbing her back. "I'll be sure to call you, dear." With that, we parted. She returned to her classroom and I went to mine, picking up my bag. I put my books into it and carried it out to my white Corsica, throwing the bag down onto the passenger seat before backing out of the lot to head down to the station.


	2. Chapter 2

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"Anakin, wake up. We've got to go to work, man. I've been calling you since class ended two hours ago." I groaned and pushed myself up to see none other than Tru Veld, my best friend. He was standing over our couch, his arms crossed, a playful smirk on his face. "You look like you got hit by a car, man."

"I feel like I did too." He chuckled and I sat up completely, stretching my arms, then cracking my neck. "I don't want to go to work."

"Too bad, mister stay up all night and watch television." I rolled my eyes. "Hey, don't you roll your eyes at me, buddy! I told you that you needed to go to bed. When I was waking up, you were still watching that stupid marathon." He held his hand out for me and I gratefully took it. He pulled me up roughly, shaking me a bit.

"It was a good marathon. Worth it." It was his turn to roll his eyes and he playfully smacked my face. I leaned forward and pecked his lips gently. "You're right though. I should've gone to bed." He smiled and rested a hand on my hip. Tru's been my boyfriend for a few weeks. We met at work, but he was still a senior in high school. I'm a freshman in college at twenty-two because I didn't have any incentive to go to college as a result of things going on at home.

Tru noticed that I'd come in with bruises on my face occasionally and he'd questioned me repeatedly until he realized I was sleeping at the shop and I was forced to tell him that my mom's boyfriend was beating her and me. He tried to give me options for my mom, but I'd already thought of everything and, as much as I wanted to stop going over, she never listened and I continued to go to her house and try to save her from taking the brunt of it.

He was actually the reason I applied for college. He told me that I was wasting my intelligence by not going, said I could be something much better than a repair guy, and asked me to go to college for something I liked instead of something I was forced into because of my dad. He wanted me to be a repair guy and it was very exhausting. It wasn't what I wanted to do, but I did it to make him happy, even if he was hardly around. "I'll drive us to work. We still have time. Do you want to go to your mom's house?" I sighed and nodded. I made my way towards my side of our closet and he grabbed my arm gently. "Anakin, you're worrying me. I know you love your mom, but…"

"But nothing," I said defensively. "She's my mom. I have to protect her, even if it means I have to get hurt. I love her; always have, always will." He nodded and rubbed my back. "I want you to stay in the car like always though. I can't risk him hurting you."

He let go of me and I grabbed my work clothes. I'd change into them when we got to work. There was no sense in putting the hot clothes on when I knew I'd be sweating in them enough in the shop. We stepped out of his apartment and he locked it before taking my hand, leading me down to his car. We got in and headed downtown, where my mom lived with her shitty alcoholic of a boyfriend. "I didn't mean to upset you, Anakin."

I leaned back against the seat and smiled as he focused on driving. "I know. It's just…everything with mom has been touchy lately." He glanced over at me and rested a hand on my thigh, smiling. "You know I love – Holy shit, Tru, watch out!" His eyes moved to the streets and he barely swerved. We were hit, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been thanks to my quick thinking in tugging the wheel. Our car flipped over and I took Tru's hand, shutting my eyes as the glass on both sides shattered and crashed in. I breathed heavily and I realized the hand I was holding wasn't returning the tightness. I opened my eyes and looked over at him. He was bloody and _not _breathing. "Tru!" People outside the car were screaming and I was trying to shake Tru even though we were locked in with our belts. "Tru, damn it, wake up! Please!" Tears were streaming down my face now. "Tru, please!"

I heard sirens and I couldn't help the sobs erupting from me now. I kept pleading for him to wake up, but he wouldn't. I didn't even register the car being flipped over so we weren't entirely upside down. I gasped as all the blood rushed back down from my head. The doors were ripped off and my belt was cut. A man with strong arms pulled me out and carried me while I breathed quickly and uncontrollably. I realized that he was a police officer by the badge jabbing at my shoulder. "Sir, are you okay?"

I nodded, shaking. "T-Tru. Tru's alive. I _know _he is." The man looked over at the other officer on Tru's side and the man holding me carried me away. "No!" I screamed. "I want to be with Tru! Take me back over there _now!_"

He sat me down on the sidewalk a distance away from the car and knelt on one knee in front of me. It was then that I took a good look at him. He had auburn hair that curled slightly, but not much. His blue-gray eyes bore into mine and he had a beard that matched his hair. "I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi. What's your name?"

He rested a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me. "A-Anakin. Anakin Skywalker."

"Anakin, your friend –"

"Boyfriend," I corrected, not caring if he was homophobic or not.

"Your boyfriend," he began soothingly, "didn't make it. The shattered glass and the impact killed him." He took my hands, realizing that only one of them was human, and the other was a bit harder and covered by a glove. "I'm very sorry, Anakin."

I rubbed my eyes, tearing up more than I already was. He couldn't be gone. We were just going to mom's house, then we were going to go to work, and then we were going on a date after work. "Obi, is the kid okay?" I looked up to see a man with dreadlocks. He knelt beside Obi-Wan and looked at me closely.

"He's in shock, Quin. Let's get him back to the station."

"Shouldn't the ambulance take him?"

"Quin," he said roughly. "The ambulance is taking his boyfriend. He doesn't seem to be too hurt. He just needs somewhere to go right now to relax." I saw some slight sign of amusement in…_Quin_'s eyes. I couldn't figure out why he looked that way, but I didn't care.

I busied myself with watching them take Tru's body. My heart clenched as I saw his motionless form on a stretcher. Reporters were on the scene already and they looked eager to talk to me. I saw too many police cars to count, a few fire trucks, and one ambulance. "Kid, did you hear me?" I looked up at him and he looked very sympathetic. "Obi and I will take you down to the station. You won't be questioned or anything of the sort. We just want to give you a safe haven for the moment. Is that okay with you? Do you have anywhere you need to be?"

I pulled my hands from Obi-Wan's and rubbed my eyes, wiping the tears away, nodding. "I'm fine with going. I'll call work later. I want to call my mom though."

Obi-Wan helped me up gently and led me over to his police car. Quin got into the driver's side and Obi-Wan helped me sit in the back before heading towards the passenger side. My eyes were on the ambulance as it drove away. The police car started up and he turned the siren on so people would let us through without a question. It was only a matter of sheer moments before we arrived at the station.

They slowly led me inside and took me towards, assumedly, Obi-Wan's office. Quin disappeared somewhere, leaving the two of us alone. He sat on his desk and I took a seat on the small sofa he had in the room. "Anakin, I know how it feels to lose someone that close. I'm truly sorry that this happened." I nodded and rubbed over my temple that was beginning to scream at me. I pulled my hand back to see a crimson streak across my skin. I looked up at him and he was already moving to bandage my wound. It was a wonder I hadn't felt it before. He said it was pretty bad, but not worthy of hospital treatment.

"I…we were just going to my mom's place," I began sadly, starting to cry again. "He was taking me there to see her, and then that-that fucker came out of nowhere and hit us." He stood over me and I looked up at him, trusting him more than I should. I was very weary around people I hardly knew, but I felt like I could trust him. "We had a date tonight," I said, laughing darkly.

"Do you want us to take you to your mother's house?"

"No."

He looked kind of shocked by my quick negative reply. His partner came back into the room with some tea and coffee. "Tea or coffee, kid?"

"Coffee," I whispered. I looked over at him as he came closer, handing me a Styrofoam cup filled with the hot liquid. He handed the tea over to Obi-Wan and set the other tea down before drinking his own coffee.

"Kid, take it easy. You're still trembling. You're okay now."

"Quin, don't be so damn insensitive," Obi-Wan snapped. He lowered his voice, thinking I wouldn't be able to hear him. "He lost his _boyfriend._ Give him time to grieve."

Someone called Obi-Wan's name and he apologized, excusing himself before leaving. Quin sat beside me on the sofa and watched me sadly, which was making me uncomfortable. "Obi lost his…lover a long time ago. He hasn't gotten over it and it's killing him every day." I glanced out at the auburn haired man who was now talking with a darker skinned, bald man. "He does know what it's like, so don't think he's playing you just so you'll talk."

The two of them let me relax in their office, sipping coffee occasionally while they worked. I stayed quiet so as not to bother them, well, until my phone went off. I sighed and Obi-Wan looked up, nodding for me to take it. I looked at the ID and saw my mom's name. I closed my eyes and answered, lifting the phone to my ear. "Hi, mom," I said hoarsely.

"_Thank the stars you're okay! I just saw the news, baby._" She sounded like she'd been sobbing and she still was. "_I was so worried. I immediately called you. Are you hurt badly?_"

"Mom, slow down," I said quietly. "I'm fine. All I have is one or two small injuries because of the glass. That's it. Tru –"

"_Baby, I'm so sorry. I know how much you liked Tru. You know how much I liked him. He was a good boy and he made you happy, honey._" I smiled weakly, feeling myself ready to cry again. I was fighting the urge _not _to. "_I can come get you if you want me to, baby boy. Where are you?_"

"I'm at the police station. Two of the officers have been taking care of me."

"_I'll be there in a few minutes._"

"What about Lars?" I said dryly, opening my eyes.

"_He isn't here right now._"

"Was he?" I asked angrily. I forgot there were other eyes and ears in the room, but they wouldn't understand the nature of the conversation. They wouldn't know that my mom was being beaten every single day because of her drunken boyfriend. Mom was silent on the other end of the phone and I grit my teeth. "Mom, tell me now."

"_We'll talk when I bring you home, baby. I just want to make sure you're safe first._"

"Okay, mom. I'll be here."

"_I love you, Ani. I love you so much, my sweet, little boy._"

Again, I smiled weakly. "I love you too, mom. See you in a few."

We ended the conversation and I put my phone away, glancing over at Obi-Wan again. "Is everything okay at home?" I remained silent, not wanting to drag him into my mom's hell of a love life. He nodded and went back to work with Quin. They were talking about the other driver who'd collided with Tru's car. They kept saying something about him being '_the next victim._' I sat on the sofa until the darker skinned man came back and knocked on the door. Quin moved to open it.

"The boy's mother is here," he said, nodding towards me. Quin nodded and Obi-Wan looked at me, dismayed.

Much to my surprise, he got up and came over to me as I stood. The other man returned to his work and Quin seemed to be watching his partner. "If you ever need anything, this is my work number," he whispered, handing me a police card with his specific number. "I'm always available. I want to make sure you're all right."

I nodded, putting his card in my jeans pocket. "Thank you." I looked over at Quin and nodded before returning my gaze to the man in front of me. I had to admit, he was…kind of attractive. I mentally shook myself. _You just lost Tru, dumbass!_ "Thank you both for your hospitality. I appreciate it very much."

Obi-Wan rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently, nodding, leading me out of the office to where my mother was waiting for me. Her head snapped up when my boots hit the linoleum floor and a wide, relieved smile spread across her face. She ran to me and crushed me in a bruising hug. "My baby boy," she whispered, rubbing her face against my chest. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alive."

We parted and I smiled at her. "I'm okay, mom." I took this moment to look her over. She had long sleeves on, which meant he'd hurt her again. She pressed her fingers to my temple. "Mom, I'm okay. I promise."

"Honey, I'm so sorry about Tru." I nodded slowly. She literally tugged on me until I bent down for her to kiss my cheek. It was slightly embarrassing how clingy she was to me in public. This was in a _police station._ My cheeks were burning when I straightened up. She moved behind me and held her hand out towards Obi-Wan. "I'm Shmi Skywalker. Thank you so much for taking care of my son."

He took her hand and shook it gently. "It was our pleasure. Quin and I were out and about when we got the call. I'm thankful we got there in time to get him out. He went into shock instantly. We thought he was going to pass out from hyperventilation."

We locked gazes with one another when I looked up from the floor. I felt so out of breath after I stared into his eyes. I shuffled forward to shake his hand too, and thanked him again. Mom thanked Quin and then we were off in her shit car. I pulled the seatbelt on as she was getting in. "There will be other boys out there for you, Ani."

She rested her hand on my thigh and I nodded. "I know, mom. I'm…I just miss him already." She ran her fingers through my cropped hair and smiled softly. "I can't believe he's really gone. He won't hug me, kiss me, or share pizza with me ever again."

"You'll find someone to hug, kiss, and share pizza with, baby. I know it's not easy for you to be gay. You've never come out to anyone but him and I'm sorry."

"It's not that I can't come out," I whispered. "It's that I'm afraid to at times. I loved Tru. I would admit that if someone asked me. I just…" I trailed off and she understood. She always understood me even if I remained silent. She and I went to family gatherings for Lars and everyone asked me about having a girlfriend or wife. It made me uncomfortable, but mom made sure no one found out. Lars and his family were extremely homophobic. Not a damn one of them was gay. Lars broke my arm when he _assumed _I was gay. That's when I ran away. I'd spent a few nights at work until Tru noticed.

Mom started the car up and took me back to her place. It was a small brick house with broken windows, a cracked foundation, and a rotted, wooden porch. The windows were broken as a result of some object – or myself – being thrown by Lars. I still had a scar on my shoulder from the first time he threw me into it. We pulled into the driveway and got out, heading inside. "Will you stay here tonight?" she asked timidly, knowing I hated being here.

"I guess." She came around to my side and rubbed my back, leading me inside. I plopped down onto the couch once we were inside and she knelt in front of me, holding my hand that was…_scarred_ somewhat. She always felt guilty when she touched it, but we both knew it wasn't her fault. Having my hand sliced deeply at the palm to the point where nerve damage had been done was worth saving my mother's life. I didn't regret it. I never would. The pain I felt and the amount of time I spent in the hospital had only served as a boost in my pride. "I love you, mom."

She nodded sadly and I sighed. "I love you too, my little Ani." She got onto the couch with me and held me against her where I felt I could finally cry since calming down earlier.


	3. Chapter 3

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

It's been a week since I saw the Skywalker boy. I was very worried about him. He and the other boy must have been very close. The two of them couldn't be any older than seniors in high school. I found Shmi Skywalker in the phone book and I called her once during the weekend to ask about how he was doing and she said she hadn't seen or heard from him since that one night. She said he came over the night after and did some laundry, but he wouldn't talk.

I sat in my literature class, waiting for the students to file in. I was swamped with essays to grade and I'd only just begun going through one class. The bell rang and students were out in the halls. I was waiting for Ferus to come in. He was always the first to enter because of his infatuation with me. At least he actually came to class. I guess I could be grateful for that.

I heard a number of things taking place outside of my classroom and I cocked an eyebrow, glancing towards the door. No one had even come into class yet. I got up as I heard a crowd chanting '_fight, fight, fight_' repeatedly. I opened the door and stepped into the hall to see the crowd that had been chanting. I heard groans and punches. Someone hit the floor and I burst into action, yelling for them to clear out as I moved students aside to get into the center. Needless to say, two boys were fighting. One was Ferus, and he had the other boy under him. He had his lower half above the other boy's face and the other boy was struggling.

As I moved to yank Ferus off of the other boy, the boy beneath him yelled, "Get off me, you son of a bitch!" I knew that voice. Ferus was thrown from the boy and Anakin rolled over, pushing himself up quickly. Ferus charged at him and shoved him into a wall. The way he was choking Anakin concerned me and I felt determined to protect him. I dove into the fray and pulled Ferus back, getting between him and Anakin. Anakin stood behind me, coughing. "I can take him. _Move_."

"Ferus, go to the lounge." He opened his mouth as if he was going to talk back and I threatened him further. "Now or I'll get a dean involved. _Go._" He scoffed at Anakin, raising his chin as if making it known that he was the superior of the two. "Everyone, get to class." The crowd dispersed, leaving me alone with Anakin.

"I didn't know you –"

"Take it easy," I whispered. His eyebrow went up in question as I gently touched his face to see if he'd been hurt. "You always seem to get lucky when bad things happen." I glanced down at his right arm and saw how his sleeve had been shoved up, revealing what looked like several bruises, though they were partially covered. "What's this?"

"Stop touching me!" he cried out. I stood back and held my hands up. He pulled his sleeve down and looked afraid.

"Anakin, relax. I'm still the same Obi-Wan I was when I pulled you from the car." He nodded, his eyes downcast. "Where's your next class?"

He glanced at his palm and I smiled weakly as I saw he'd written it down on his hand. "Advanced Literature in room thirty-six." My heart sped up and I wasn't sure why. "I don't know where that is. I haven't been here all week. I just got transferred into that class."

"That would be my class." He glanced up and I saw some kind of light flicker across his eyes. I led him towards the classroom and pointed out a few seats he could choose from. It didn't surprise me when he went for the one closest to the back. I told the class I'd be right back and I went to go speak with Ferus.

"Professor Kenobi, I'm not the one who started the fight."

"What was the fight about?" I inquired, standing over him as he sat at the table.

"He's so arrogant. He made a comment about him being proud of who he is and not needing to flaunt it. He was referring to me and I don't flaunt _anything._" Right, so staring at me and calling me at three in the morning wasn't flaunting anything as little as attraction. "He thinks he's a god or something. I wish he'd kill himself. He's such an emo bastard."

"What exactly does '_emo_' mean?"

"A lot of things, but he cuts himself, so he's emo." My eyes widened. That couldn't be true, could it? Then again, he looked and acted troubled, which meant it was a possibility. "A few guys caught him trying to slice his wrist open in the bathroom the other day. He's such an ass." He laughed loudly. "He's going to kill himself soon and nobody will even care. His mom's a whore and his dad left him. He killed his boyfriend and –"

"Enough!" I screamed. That certainly _was _enough. "Get to class. You'll discuss this further with the dean and your parents." He rolled his eyes. The kid was seventeen. He was one of those kids who graduated early, which meant he was still a minor at least for another month. He grumbled something under his breath and I trailed him back to my classroom. I was thankful that this was the last class of the day. I stepped back into the room to see Anakin looking very angered and upset. Some of the teens beside him were whispering. "All right, everyone quiet. It's time for class to _finally _start."

We once again dove into our Shakespeare conversation and Ferus was surprisingly silent during the entirety of it, more than likely because Anakin stole the spotlight. I could tell that he didn't like being the center of attention, but he seemed very passionate about Shakespeare, which was an extreme surprise to me. He and Barriss were probably my favorite students of all the classes I taught.

After class was over, I kept an eye on Ferus and Anakin. Ferus was waiting for Anakin to leave so he could saunter over to my desk and more than likely offer me his body so I wouldn't involve the dean as I said I would. Anakin, however, looked like he was waiting for Ferus to leave and I wasn't sure why. Anakin made the first move and came towards me, but Ferus sprinted over. "Mister Kenobi, is there anything I can do for…_extra credit?_"

I raised an amused eyebrow. "No, Ferus. You didn't do your essay, and you will _not _get credit for it. That's the end of it. I told you this several days ago." He pouted and, apparently, wanted to act as though he was seducing me. "Good day, Mister Olin." I rose from my seat and glanced at Anakin who had lowered his head and decided to try to escape from the room before we could talk. "Mister Skywalker?" He froze and turned slowly. "I'd like to speak with you if you don't mind."

Ferus seemed flabbergasted by that and Anakin only nodded. Ferus left, though I'm sure he would much rather have stayed in my classroom. I took a seat behind my desk and Anakin stepped up in front of it. "You, uh, wanted to talk to me…" He glanced at my desktop. "Professor Kenobi?"

"Obi-Wan," I corrected. "You can call me Obi-Wan. I'm not a professor or a cop right now. I'm just Obi-Wan and I want to know how you've been holding up. How have you been since the accident?"

"Fine." He was rather blunt about it. "Did you lock up that mother fucker who –"

I stood and he cowered slightly. I raised an eyebrow and I wondered what was going on behind the scenes. "We have him in the station right now. Do try to watch your language though, okay? It's not appropriate." I smiled softly. "Shakespeare would be disappointed to hear that vulgarity."

My heart warmed when he laughed a little. "I've been better," he said finally. "I miss Tru very much." I saw his heart breaking on his face, but he was trying to be strong, or he was hiding something. As a police officer, I could tell when someone was holding back in a situation. Right now, Anakin was holding something back and I feared it was much larger than the death of his boyfriend. "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"You're scrutinizing me. It's making me uncomfortable."

His eyes moved down to the desk again and his hands rested on the wood. His knuckles looked like they'd bled for a while. When he'd shaken my hand, his hand felt much weaker and more tentative than it should have. I kept looking at it and I could see faint traces of _scarred _skin. "What happened?"

He looked up again, his eyes slightly teary. "Nothing," he said, frustrated. "I've just got a lot going on and I'm trying to find a way to cope with a lot of things, like Tru's death." I hesitated before resting my hand on his left one. That must have been his breaking point. "My mom's in the hospital," he said painfully, bowing his head, tears falling freely. "Her boyfriend almost killed her. That son of a bitch almost killed her. I got there too late. I-I…I…"

"Were you hurt?" My heart tightened as I watched his distressed face. That was enough for me to know. "Show me." I glanced at his arms and he recoiled, much to my dismay.

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'm going to show you my body!" he cried. I stood back, hands in the air.

"I wasn't asking for you to remove clothes. Just take it easy." I watched his eyes. He was angry, but his emotions were much more than that. He was afraid. I knew he wasn't afraid of me. For some reason, the boy trusted me. I'm sure he hasn't told anyone about his home life. Being that I'm a police officer, I could probably arrest the man abusing him and his mother without a warrant because the woman is in the hospital and he has physical proof. "Anakin, let me call Quin. We'll head to the hospital and–"

"No," he said with a slight growl. "Mom's fine. She always is." He seemed like he was steeling himself now, and that worried me.

"Have you eaten today?" Before he could answer, his stomach growled. I took that as a no. "Will you at least join Quin and me for lunch?" He shook his head.

"I have somewhere I need to be right now." He started to turn away, but paused. "I will take you up on your offer for lunch another time though."

I smiled warmly. "Let me know when. The offer stands until it's used up."

"Yeah, yeah." He returned the smile. "Good day, Mister Obi-Wan." He seemed to tease me with that and chuckled, heading towards the door.

"Oh, Anakin," I called out, making him freeze in his steps. "Do you still have my number?" He smiled and nodded. "Call me, my friend. I'm in tonight." He nodded again. "The golden age is before us," I began as he'd turned his back to me, "not behind us."

He straightened up and I heard him laugh. I smiled over at him as he turned his head slightly to the side. "What is past is prologue." He pushed my door open and made his way out.

Needless to say, as soon as he left, Quin entered. His eyebrows were nearly through his hairline as he stood in the doorway. "What the hell was that?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I swear that sounded like a certain Shakespeare nerd I know."

I decided to tease him a bit as I gathered up my bag and jacket. "There's many a man has more hair than wit." I shot him a playful smirk as I walked towards him. I received a playful blow to the back of my head as I stepped out of my classroom.

"There's many a man who don't care to listen to someone who quotes other people, especially _dead _people." I swung my jacket over my left shoulder, smiling all the way down the hall. "And it's not funny. My hair is just the way it should be. The dreads are a family symbol, Obi."

"You keep telling yourself that, my friend." We made our way outside towards my Corsica. He got in moments after I unlocked the door and jostled the entire car. "Don't break my car, Quin."

"It's a piece of shit anyway. Anyone could tell you that." I rolled my eyes and backed out, heading down to a nearby café. "So what's with you and the crash victim who survived? You like the kid, Obi?"

"Quin, he's got to be at least eighteen, nineteen. That's half my age. I don't think a boy like him wants to be with an old geezer." He smacked my arm gently, snickering. "I like him, but I already know there's no hope for us, okay? He's too young, I'm too old. My life is too complicated as it is. I don't want him brought into it. These cases are taking up too much of my time and he doesn't deserve to be ignored."

"Obi, shut the fuck up." I glanced at him, shocked. "Bro, I saw your journal that you took with you to the last crime scene you and I stumbled upon. You've got the kid's name all over the pages. Hell, you're even writing _your _last name after _his _first name." My cheeks burned and I looked away from him. "I think you two should go on a date. He's got to be into his creepy Shakespeare hero."

"You're always so flattering."

"If you don't get his number, I swear I will neuter you." I rolled my eyes. I believed he'd do it though. He's crazy enough to try anyway. "He's got your work number. Ask him to give you his cell or home one and you can talk every waking moment."

"I don't want to push him away. He's a nice kid, a bit troubled, but nice." He gave me a look of question. "You and I have a new case I've designed with the boy's help. His mother is our key witness since he won't tell me much. The mother has a boyfriend who hurts them both."

For once, he looked like he was actually _thinking._ That was either a really good or a really bad thing. "Do you think it's wise to interfere in his personal life?"

"I want to protect him, Quin. I–"

"I know you like him. I get the feeling he likes you, but don't push him." I was baffled by his maturity. It's been happening a lot recently and it was just something I wasn't used to. "He trusts you enough to talk to you. Don't jump headfirst into the fray. You'll probably piss him off."

I took a moment to let that all sink in. I was also waiting for my shock to wear off. "I'll…refrain from talking to his mother then. If he asks me to do something, I will though." Quin rubbed my shoulder. "I learned how hard it is to have divorced parents as well as an abusive replacement as a result of your life, Quin. Maybe you're better suited to help him than I am."

"Did he come to me? No. He went to you. He opened up to _you._" I'm not sure Anakin actually willingly came to me about his problems. I was kind of pressing on him to tell me what happened and I let up, which broke him. I didn't like the fear I saw on his face in my classroom as we'd begun our conversation and I sprang up from the desk. He looked scared to death when I'd pulled him from his car last week, but that was reason enough. He had to be pulled from a car that his boyfriend was killed in, and he was pulled into a stranger's arms. "Hey, Obi, come back down to the earth, man."

I shook my head and nodded. "You're right. I'll try my best to keep his trust, Quin." He smiled widely and I saw his childish side consuming the mature side of him. I actually liked when he acted his age. He nearly broke my door off as he opened it and got out of my car. This car was pretty old, and damaged, but it served its purposes.

We went into the café and found our normal seat. As he usually did when we came here, he called the waitress over and proceeded to flirt with her. It made me wonder why Aayla stuck with him at times. If she saw half of the times he'd flirted with some girls, she'd want to chop his man parts off. With his luck, he grabbed underage girls' attention, and he got reprimanded heavily as well as put on suspension for a while until the situation resolved itself.

The waitress took our orders once she'd given up on flirting with the man-child seated across from me. "Lighten up, Wan." I bit my lip and drifted away from the here and now. I thought about tonight. Would Anakin actually call me at work? I wasn't going out into the city with Quin tonight, so I'd just be sifting through files and such. I wanted Anakin to call. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," I said, sighing. It would be pointless to tell him I was worried about receiving a phone call from a boy half my age. He'd more than likely end that conversation with some innuendo in regards to the '_phone sex_' he and I had experimented with as curious teens… That was something I regretted to this day because he never let it go when I was waiting for a call or anticipating on making one. Damn Quin and his southbound mind…


	4. Chapter 4

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I went over to mom's tonight because she asked me to stay there if I wasn't feeling good at the apartment. I'd met with Tru's family and had passed over all of his belongings save a few things that had a personal meaning over to his family. They seemed kind of resentful of me, like they blamed me for his death or even for his being _gay._ They weren't very happy with me when they realized that I was over twenty years old. I kept my things there, but I hadn't done much of anything. I didn't sleep in the bed anymore, instead choosing the couch or the floor.

Mom popped over one morning on the weekend and told me about Obi-Wan calling her to check on me, but she noticed that my pillows and blanket were on the couch. That was when she gave me a key to her place and told me to come over whenever I needed somewhere. I planned on changing the lock while she was in the hospital and replacing her key with a new one to fit because I wanted to keep Lars out.

I walked into her living room and turned the television on, passing through to the kitchen. I grabbed a bag of chips she bought me and took them to the couch, where I promptly sat on my ass and blankly absorbed whatever was on while I ate. I found myself bored and actually tried to listen to whatever was on. I pulled my legs up to sit cross-legged and I realized that I had the news on. Must've been the last thing mom watched. "Officer Kenobi has offered very few words on the matter of a young boy's tragic death in a car accident last week."

I raised an eyebrow as Obi-Wan's face appeared. They were outside the station and Quin was right there, trying to steal the focus of the camera. "The one who _caused _the accident is being held until further notice. The survivor of the incident is doing well, for those of you who have recently tweeted our main page asking." People were tweeting about _me?_

He was asked several questions and Quin eventually stepped in. "Look, lady, we're just police officers. We arrived on the scene and pulled the kid from the car. He's doing okay. He and the kid who was killed were very close, so he's taking it hard and he needs time to grieve, so leave the poor boy alone, will you?"

I saw something in Obi-Wan's eyes and I frowned. He didn't like all the questions about me. They asked repeatedly if he'd contacted me, if we were close, all kinds of things. I wasn't sure how he felt, but it kind of looked like hopeful. That's when it hit me. He wanted me to call him tonight. I waited for Quin to shove the camera aside and lead Obi-Wan into the station and decided to give them a few more minutes to relax before I invaded on their work time. He seemed to hate the press and I couldn't blame him. They were relentless.

I kept eating, got something to drink, took a shower, dressed myself, and headed back downstairs. I was too lazy to put a shirt on because I'd just be going to bed to remove it in a little bit anyway and no one was here to scold me about walking around '_half naked_' as Tru used to call it. I grabbed his card out of my jeans pocket while I was upstairs and I picked up the phone, dialing his direct number. I waited, holding my breath, my heart pounding in my chest as I waited. It rang once, twice, and a third time before it picked up. He sighed heavily before answering. "_Officer Kenobi here._"

"H-Hey," I whispered hoarsely, having a difficult time finding my voice and the will to speak. I wasn't sure why I was acting like this. I guess I was starting to form a crush on him, but it was probably because he was my hero from the crash and he teased me with Shakespeare earlier.

"_Anakin? Is that really you?_" He sounded like he didn't believe that it was my voice on the other end of the phone.

"Yep." I managed to find some of my voice then and I guess I sounded more recognizable after doing so.

He laughed lightly and I smiled. "_I didn't think you'd call. How are you doing?_"

I ran my hand through the short spikes in my hair and closed my eyes. "I'm doing okay. I'm being kind of lazy at the moment and I saw you on the news a little bit ago." He was quiet on the other end and I wasn't sure how to interpret that. "I, uh, I'm… Yeah."

Again, he laughed. "_Don't be nervous about talking to me. I'm not here to make you uncomfortable. I know I'm your professor during the day, but I'm still your friend, if you let me._"

"Professor by day, policeman by night," I said quietly, smiling softly. "Sure, we can be friends. It seems like we'll be seeing each other a little more now anyway." I paused. "How are _you?_"

I heard a door slam on the other end and then he cleared his throat. "_I'm doing very well, thank you._" He must not be used to having others ask how he was doing. It was his job to worry about people, I suppose. "_What are you doing right now? I mean, if you don't mind me asking._"

I glanced at the cartoon playing on the television. "I'm watching muted television at my mom's. I'm also talking to you. Why?"

I could imagine him tugging on his tie to loosen the collar around his neck and that was strangely a very appealing thought. I shook it off and listened to him as he spoke. "_If you haven't eaten dinner already, would you like to go out with me? I'll be getting out of here soon. I could…I could come pick you up._"

My heart sped up and my palms started to sweat a little. "Sure," I breathed breathlessly. I actually liked the idea of going somewhere with him in a casual setting instead of at the university or in the aftermath of a car accident. "I'd like that very much." I gave him my mom's address and he said he knew exactly where that was. "Do you…need my cell number to call me when you get here?" I offered. He seemed decent enough to share it with.

"_That is your decision. It's your personal phone, Anakin. If you don't feel comfortable handing it out to me, I can either knock on the door or ring the doorbell._"

I rolled my eyes. "Get a paper and something to write with." He scrambled around and told me when he finally had something. I gave him my number and smiled when he said he'd add it to his cell contacts. "So…" I trailed off. "What are you up to now? Am I taking away from your work time?"

He chuckled. "_You are a distraction,_" he teased, "_but I don't have much to do here. I've actually finished the work I needed to do tonight and I'm grading some papers._" I smiled. He was such a hard worker, which reminded me that I had to go back to work tomorrow. Dex was nice enough to let me off for the week, but he expected me back. "_I'm eager to see how you'd write because of how passionate you seemed in class today._"

It was my turn to laugh. "I'm a horrible writer. My high school English teacher hated me, but I'm not sure if it was because of my attitude or just the fact that I fell asleep."

"_Why'd you fall asleep in that class? You seemed to enjoy my class today._"

"Let's just say high school wasn't the highlight of my life."

"_We could swap high school stories if you're willing?_" I chuckled and gave him an affirmative noise. "_Anakin, how old are you? You're a freshman, so you've got to be either eighteen or nineteen._"

I smiled to myself. Did I really look that young? "Twenty-two actually."

"_Oh. Well, you certainly look it…sometimes. You look very young, but I suppose I can see that you're over twenty._" He paused and I knew there was more coming. "_If you're twenty-two, how are you a freshman in college?_"

I laid on my back on the couch and rubbed my temple. "I didn't feel like I was worth it. I didn't think college was worth my time. I've been told I'd be a failure since I was twelve."

He sighed. "_I'm sorry. You don't deserve that. You seem like a very bright, young man. Whoever put you down should be ashamed of themselves for discouraging someone with a lot of potential._" We talked a little more and it seemed like second nature to just open up to him. Hell, we even transferred to his cell to keep the conversation going as he drove, though I warned him to be careful. "_I'm outside your house now._"

I glanced out the window and cocked an eyebrow. "You're driving that piece of shit in my driveway?" I asked, laughing. "I'll be out in a second." I hung up and slipped it into my pocket, grabbing one of my shirts from a box I brought over with some clothes. I pulled it and my black jacket on before stepping out. I locked the door and walked down to his Corsica. I glanced at it as I walked to the passenger side and it really _was _a piece of shit. I yanked the door open and slid in.

I glanced at him to see his warm smile. "Hello, my friend."

"Hello." He was a very breathtaking sight. He backed out of the driveway and turned left. For being able to talk nonstop for at least two hours on the phone, we were having a difficult time talking to each other with such a short distance between us. "How was work?" I tried.

"It was all right. It was eventful to start, but then it got boring, and you called." He said the last bit in a much happier and appreciative tone. "I liked hearing your voice." My face burned at the shy sound of his voice. "I don't…I don't make calls very often. Well, with people I want to hear from anyway." He glanced over at me and smiled softly. "Thank you for calling."

"I was happy to call," I answered quietly. "I like the sound of your voice, Obi-Wan, both on the phone and in person." He chuckled and took his right hand from the wheel, patting my thigh. I gave a chagrin smile as heat welled up between my thighs. It was funny how he didn't even have to try so hard to get me like this. _Fuck_. I'm sure he's straight. He's got to have a wife and kids at the very least. I peeked at his left hand and didn't find a wedding ring. I smiled to myself. No marriage, but probably a girlfriend.

We went to some fancy restaurant that I _definitely _wouldn't be able to afford, nor would I be able to pay him back. I didn't realize that my jaw dropped until he lightly touched my chin and lifted it up, a tease in his eyes. "I'm paying. You're my date." Again, there was heat between my legs and my heart nearly leapt from its place in my chest. "You can eat whatever you choose. Money isn't a big deal."

"You can afford _this, _but you drive a shit car?" I asked jokingly. I shook my head and we got out of the car. He locked it up and we met on the sidewalk. He slid his hand behind my back and led me along with him to the door, actually pausing to hold it open for me. If he wasn't gay, I'd be very unhappy. He's so charming and seems like he does everything by the romantic book.

I was taken aback by the way the place looked inside. If I thought the outside was fancy, then this had to be heaven. He came up behind me and smiled. "Do you like it?" All I could do to answer was nod and he led me over to a man behind a podium. He gave our names and the man took us to a table. I sat across from Obi-Wan and gazed around in wonder. "You've never been in a place like this, have you?"

It wasn't meant to sound condescending. He was just curious and I had to remind myself that. "No. Not once. I've been on the outside and in the kitchen of a place like this, but I never set foot outside the kitchen." I had been a dishwasher when I was seventeen up until I was nineteen, then I became a cashier at a fast-food restaurant. After nearly being molested by a pedophilic customer, I quit. That's when my dad set up my mechanic job for me because he wasn't happy with my choices.

His hand touched mine and I realized I was holding the edge of the table a bit…_rough._ "Is something on your mind?" His voice was very soothing.

"Just thinking about my…_father._" I hissed every time I said 'dad' or 'father.' He was never around, so he had no parental position in my life. He gave me a look that was very concerned as well as curious. I heard a television above a bar in the far corner of the room and I glowered at it.

He followed my gaze and sighed. "I really hate politicians." He watched the man on the screen, spouting off lies that most took as promises. "I don't like this man in particular. He's always been troublesome and I don't know how he's kept his position for so long."

I snorted. "That bastard is the one who fathered me. If anything, he's screwing someone higher in the chain. It's what he does when he wants something." I looked over at Obi-Wan after he remained silent for far too long. His eyes were wide and I assumed he thought he offended me. "I hate him, so feel free to insult him."

"Senator Palpatine is your _father?_ Anakin, your last name is Skywalker."

I nodded. "I didn't want to keep his last name. Mom wanted me to for him, but I hate him." I shrugged. "He left me when I was young anyway. He's never been a father to me." I watched the man who called me by my full name when he talked to me. I rubbed my jaw and sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I talk about myself too much," I whispered. "I want to hear about you."

He smiled weakly and nodded. "I will make you talk one day though." He rested his hand on mine and my heart stopped. He _had _to be gay. Please, oh please, be gay. "I'm from Stewjon originally. I lost my parents when I was young and I was raised by a…_family friend._" He kept watching me to make sure I wasn't bored or something. "I went to school, managed to survive high school, went through college, and I'm where I am right now."

He shrugged, liking how he summed up his own life story. I chose to press a bit. "What do you mean you managed to survive high school?"

He sighed and his fingers tightened around my hand a little. "It wasn't easy for me. I was frequently ridiculed, which is actually how I met Quinlan." He smiled at that and I felt jealousy well up inside of me. "He stood by my side for the last three years of high school. He's been my best friend for –" He gave me an amused look. "He's been my best friend for as long as you've been alive." I choked for a second. He couldn't be more than six years my senior. At least that's what I thought until now. He would've been fifteen, sixteen when he met Quinlan, which made him fifteen or sixteen years my senior.

"What were you ridiculed for?" I let my eyes roam over him. He was very attractive. His auburn hair seemed absolutely perfect and his beard made me wonder how it would feel to kiss him. _Fuck, Anakin._ I still wasn't one hundred percent sure if he was into me, or even gay.

"Well, like you, I'm interested in men." He said that and the air around us eased considerably. "I had very few friends of the same sex because they felt that I would _want _them, which I didn't. Quinlan was the only close friend I had until my senior year and I met Luminara. You might know her as Missus Fisto." I nodded. I've seen her around occasionally.

We talked a little more and he vaguely talked about his first and only boyfriend. He said it was the family friend who had taken care of him. When I asked about what happened to him, I regretted the decision immediately. He was very sad as he told me about how he died valiantly, which sparked his interest in criminology.

When our food arrived, we ate, but we talked. I was surprised that he talked with food in his mouth. It made us both laugh and I started to think he was just doing it to make me laugh. He seemed very sweet and caring. He took care of the police chief who had a bullet stuck in his gut. I told him I couldn't imagine being in that kind of job. I had a pretty decent stomach for things, but I don't think I'd be able to make a daily habit of it. The way he talked was slightly accented and I found it to be…_beautiful._ His eyes sparkled when he talked about something he remembered that was either humorous or a memory he treasured. He talked about Quinlan and Luminara and how obsessive he'd been when he was hellbent on finding his deceased lover's killer. By the end of dinner, I was totally roped in. I thought I liked him because he saved me. No, I liked him just for being _him._


	5. Chapter 5

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

After dinner, Anakin and I got into my 'piece of heaping shit' as he called it. I still wasn't very fond of his language, but it was all right. I swear at times, and he's younger, so he's more prone to it now. We sat there in complete silence with the engine off, the only sound being that of our breathing. I glanced over at him, wondering how he was feeling. After spending two hours with him on the phone and nearly another two hours in person with him, I knew I was attracted to him. I just wasn't sure if he felt the same way. His eyes met mine and I could see him searching. His blue eyes were absolutely beautiful.

I felt so odd, so unlike myself. I had sworn I would never love another person after Qui-Gon's death, but I find myself attracted to a very, young, sweet boy, a boy who is right beside me in a very small car. His lips parted and I wished so badly that I could see what he was thinking. He started to lean forward and I watched him, but as soon as he was within kissing proximity, he pulled back. I was curious about his lips and now I was even more curious about him because he seemed like he wanted to kiss me. Now, his cheeks burned a light shade of red and he looked down.

I took in his image while he wasn't look and it made me smile. He had a gorgeous face, one like that of a god, and his hair was black and cropped with small spikes. His shoulders were broad and strong, his chest looked like it could be very, very breathtaking, though I've only seen him clothed. His arms and legs were strong and it was evident that he exercised or something in order to keep his muscles as prominent as they were. He truly did look like a god to me. The only things I saw that marred his absolute perfection was a small, hardly noticeable scar on his right cheek and his right hand. His left was calloused from working, whatever it was that he did, but his right didn't seem… He glanced up and caught me staring at that hand and I saw him tense. "It's damaged," he whispered, "just in case you didn't already know."

"How… What happened to it?"

I was afraid to ask, but I was curious and, if we _did _enter a relationship, he would tell me sooner or later. He sighed. "My mom's boyfriend hasn't liked me since he met me. I was twenty at the time and mom invited me over for dinner. He and mom had an argument." I could tell that this was bothering him greatly and I now wished I hadn't asked him to rehash these memories. "He's an alcoholic and he had a saw." I winced and he flexed his artificial fingers. "Well, I jumped in to protect her and needless to say, he took a swing at me. I'm lucky to not have lost it, but it's… There a moments when I can't feel anything. Mom helped out here and there and did what she could during my physical therapy sessions. I was severely depressed because it's my writing hand. I lost a lot of sleep over it because it hurt so badly and trying desperately to feel when I couldn't at those particular times took a lot out of me. It took a year to finally get used to feeling half of the things I touched and then another four months to… Well, that's another story for another time."

I wished I could have done something for him. "Anakin, do you…" He looked over at me sadly. "Do you harm yourself?"

He bit his lip. "I did a few months ago, but I haven't done anything in a while." He rubbed over his knee and I watched him. "Who told you I did that?"

"Ferus," I said quietly. "He called you 'emo' and I asked him what it was, and he said you cut yourself." That only seemed to enrage him and that's not what I wanted to do.

"Ferus wouldn't know an _emo _if they fucked him up the ass. I'm not fucking emo."

Instinctively and out of habit, I reached up and stroked my fingers through his hair. At first he pulled away, then he leaned into it. I slid my fingers down the back of his head and rubbed his neck gently. I watched his eyes close and I felt him relax. "I didn't even know what it was, but I'm sure you aren't that either, Anakin." He glanced over at me and sighed. "I don't make judgments, especially if I don't know much about someone."

We sat together in comfortable silence, my hand still on his neck. I started up my car and drove back to his mom's since it was getting so late. I stroked the hairs on the back of his neck and he seemed to like it. As we pulled up to his mom's, I actually felt a bit down. I liked spending time with him. I wouldn't have him back in class tomorrow, but I would the day after. Now that he knows where to find me and how to contact me, maybe we would see more of each other. "Do you want to come in for a minute?" he whispered.

I smiled and looked over at him after parking in his driveway. "Only if _you _want me to, Anakin." He nodded and I shut the car off. We both got out of my Corsica. After I'd pulled my hand from his neck, I felt like I'd been burned, and burned pretty badly at that. He strolled up to his door and unlocked it. He waited for me to come closer before stepping inside. The place looked like it was taken care of for the most part, but I glanced towards the kitchen and saw boards up in place of a window. I glanced over at him as he went to put his jacket away.

He came back over to me and smiled. "May I take your jacket, Monsieur Kenobi?"

It was a teasing smile. I returned it and slid it off, handing it to him. "Thank you, good sir."

We both laughed. "Take a seat, Obi-Wan. You don't have to stand." I felt nervous about touching something in here, but he allowed me to, so I sat on his couch. He went past me and into the kitchen. He opened the door to the refrigerator and I heard some glasses clinking. "Do you drink?"

"Some wine every now and then." I had to relax at the thought that he could _legally _drink. I glanced out into the kitchen again and saw him grab some glasses and a bottle of red wine. He seemed like he drank a bit every so often by how he handled the bottle and the glasses. I suppose he could've just known how to pop the cap just from basic knowledge, but it did make me wonder how much he drank. He brought the glasses out into his living room and sat beside me, handing me mine. "Thank you," I whispered.

We both sipped from the glasses. He seemed to like taking a bit more, but I wouldn't comment on it. I glanced around the room and found a bunch of picture frames hanging on one wall. There were a lot of pictures of Anakin and it made me smile. There was one from his younger years, others from what I assumed were high school pictures, and another few on his graduation day. He looked a lot happier in those pictures than he's been since I've met him. I got him to smile like that though. "Mom keeps a lot of mementos on the wall," he said finally. "She keeps pictures of good times up and puts all of the others in a box under her bed."

I saw a very sullen and formal picture of him and his father. It had a huge crack in the middle of it and he looked to be maybe sixteen years old. "Why is that one up there? The one of you and your father."

He looked up at it and frowned. "She hates that picture." He took another drink and swallowed audibly. "She's always hated how formal he was with me, but that was the day I came out to them. Well, I told mom. He caught me sucking off my boyfriend at the time." My eyes widened and I looked at him. He glanced at me simultaneously, shrugging. "I do a lot of things to win someone's affection. It didn't last long though. _Dad _threatened to call the police because my boyfriend was eighteen and I was maybe a week away from being sixteen."

"I'm very sorry." I didn't know what else to say. I had never done anything sexual with Qui-Gon and he died when I was twenty. Anakin had already done a few things, evidently. It was shocking how different our generations were. Quinlan was bad, but he never did anything sexual in high school, as much as I'm sure he would've liked to.

"It's okay. He wasn't worth the trouble. It was good while it lasted, but it wasn't _all _good." I gave him a look of question and he shrugged again. "The details aren't really all that important. Ask me again after a few dates and maybe I'll tell you about it." He gave me a cute, little smile after that and I couldn't help but return the smile. He set his glass down on the table nearest to him and turned to me. "Do you want to watch a movie with me or do you have to get home? It's almost one in the morning."

I smiled. I knew I _should _go home and get some sleep, but I also knew that I would be thinking about him and I'd lose sleep anyway. I would much rather prefer to be here with him than alone in my apartment. Quin was more than likely in my bed again as it was and I didn't want to deal with him right now. "We can watch a movie. I take it you have a free day tomorrow?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "I have to go back to work tomorrow, but I don't have any classes." He shifted and pulled his legs up onto the couch. I liked how relaxed he was around me. He was very curious and very beautiful. His face was perfect, his body, his voice. He was absolute perfection in my eyes. He turned the television on and flipped through some channels. He kept going until I saw a movie I liked and asked him if he could stop for a second, which he did. It was some sappy romance, but it had always reminded me of the kind of romance I wanted.

I glanced at him and saw him smiling. He must've watched this before.

We sat side by side for nearly an hour of it until he started getting kind of tired and leaned against me. I didn't really mind it all that much. Before the movie was over, he'd fallen asleep. I was on my back and he was between me and the back of the couch with his head on my chest. I had my arm wrapped around him and I stroked his shoulder and hair alternatively. He was such a sweet boy. I couldn't imagine why anyone would be against him.

**The next morning.**

I woke up when I fully realized the weight on my chest was missing. I pushed myself up quickly and looked around. I was seeing things a bit blurrier than usual, so I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. The first thing I did was go to the window and see if his car was there, which it was, then I checked the rooms downstairs. When I'd finished in what I assumed was his mom's painting room, he came down the stairs. I heaved a sigh of relief as he stood on the landing, readjusting his sleeveless shirt. "Worried?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

My face burned and he smiled, coming down to where I stood. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay is all." Yes, that was partially true. The other half of why I was searching was because there had been a few kidnappings in the last few months and they had been around this neighborhood.

He nodded and I could see a thoughtful look on his face. "Obi-Wan, are we…_dating?_" He looked directly at me and all his face told me was that he was curious, then it faded into nervousness. "I mean, if I'm too young for you, I'll understand. I just –"

I shushed him. "If you're comfortable with dating me, then yes, because I would certainly like to." His smile was the answer and he looked very happy about it.

"I don't kiss my dates until after the second date," he said, winking as he walked past me. I chuckled and followed him with my eyes. "I _could _make an exception for you, but I would be breaking my own rules." His head turned to the side slightly and he looked absolutely adorable with that crooked smile and tilt.

"We'll go by your rules," I breathed. "Would you like me to drive you to work?" He chuckled and shrugged. "I don't mind. I'd like to see where you work anyway."

"It's a shit job really." I raised an eyebrow. He moved to grab what I _assumed _was his work outfit. It was full of grease and oil and certainly smelled of it, too. "I work as a mechanic. My dad wanted me to do it because he felt it was worthy of me since I'm shit in his eyes." I chose not to comment on that. I felt that it would only anger him more, but at least I knew his neck and hair were his weakness with me. "He's coming back tonight, supposedly. He _said _he wanted to have dinner with me, but he never shows and I end up sitting there like a damn fool by the end of the hour."

I moved casually towards him and slid one hand behind his head, playing with his short hair. It drew a smile and a gleam from his eyes. "If you'd prefer not to eat with him, I'm sure there's someone else who would love your company."

"I doubt he'll show up, so I'd love if you joined me." He lifted his hand and slid mine to his cheek, holding it there, still smiling. "I've never thought about dating a teacher before," he said, chuckling. "It's interesting, and new." I found myself leaning closer to him without thinking and I pulled back as soon as I realized what it was that I was doing. He own smiled and his cheeks reddened. "I've got to get to work and so do you, Obi-Wan." Suddenly, I loved the way he said my name.

"What time is dinner tonight?"

"How's seven for you?"

I nodded. "That works fine. My shift tonight should go very quickly. I'll be out by quarter to seven, so I'll go home, get changed, and come over to pick you up. Does that sound okay?"

"Sounds like a date!" I rubbed my thumb over the corner of his mouth and then I pulled away. I wanted to try something with him and I wasn't sure how he'd react. I moved my hands down to his sides and slid my arms around him, slowly taking him into an embrace. Fortunately, he seemed to like it. My hands slid up his back and his arms wound around my shoulders. He had to be at least a foot taller than me, which was odd considering our age difference. Hm. I always did like men who were taller than me, so I guess it was no surprise that I'd found him in much the same fit.

He laughed softly and I felt his lips against my neck. It wasn't so much as a kiss as it was just him resting his lips there, testing the waters. His warm breath on my skin felt nice. "All right, Anakin. Let's head off to work." He nodded and we slid back from each other, not before I could rub his back and he could rub my shoulder though. I reached up and brushed a stray hair out of his face, earning a bright red blush. "Shall I drive you or would you prefer to drive yourself since I get out so late?"

"I'll drive myself," he whispered. "You be safe today, okay? Don't get..." He trailed off and his hands seemed to rest nervously on my shoulders. "Don't get shot up or anything, please."

I smiled. "I'll be as careful as I always am." I stroked his cheek and he seemed to relax. "I'll use Quinlan as a human shield if it comes to that." He chuckled and it warmed my heart. Everything that left his lips sounded beautiful. He rubbed my shoulders for a few moments before dropping his hands down to his sides.

"You can call me if you're free. I don't want to bother you at work if you're patrolling or busy." I nodded and we gathered up our things. He had a hoodie pulled on and that damnable work outfit of his was starting to disgust me with its smell. I would definitely have to help him get into a new job that was a little less oily and greasy.

We walked out together and he locked the door behind him. He walked over to his small car and slid his outfit through the window, tossing down what I assumed would be his lunch in a brown, paper bag. I walked over to him and planted a kiss on the back of his left shoulder and he smiled. "It wasn't a kiss to your lips, so we still haven't broken your rules," I said quietly, smiling up at him.

"I'll let it slide." His eyes lit up and his teeth showed with his smile. He was the one to lean forward and pull me into an embrace this time. I enjoyed his warmth. It was definitely something I didn't have. Well, unless Quin stayed the night with me, then he usually smothered me with his sweaty warmth. "I'll see you tonight, Obi-Wan."

"See you tonight, Anakin." We both got into our respective cars and he waited for me to pull out so he could. I watched him in the rearview mirror as he drove in the opposite direction. It was odd how fast our relationship was going. I have been averse from love, and I find myself falling in love with a younger man. Quinlan would be so damn proud…


	6. Chapter 6

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Dex had a lot more cars than I thought he would in the shop today. Tru and I were the best mechanics he had, which unfortunately left me as the only surviving one. The others were…_decent._ I was underneath a Honda, sighing as I glanced at the damaged underbelly of it. This guy was pretty rough on his car. The damn thing needed to be charged because he couldn't get it to start up, so I had to find my cables that Dex misplaced.

"Hey, kid!" Dex called out from his office. I scooted out from underneath and looked over at him as he stepped out of the office and into the garage. "How you holding up here?"

"I'm doing all right. This guy's going to have to pay a_ lot _extra because he left out a lot of problems. His brakes and transmission are shot. The exhaust pipe is broken. I was in it earlier this morning and his turning signals aren't working, neither are the headlights." He looked bewildered. "I have no idea how this guy got here in one piece."

"Yikes, kid." He came over and held his hand out for me. I gratefully took it and he held me up. My work clothes were a disaster after having an engine nearly burst. I'd burned my hand this morning, just for added measure. "How about you take a break? You've worked four, almost five hours without taking a lunch break." I glanced at him curiously. "The car will be here for a week, kid. You have time. Break, eat, take it easy."

I sighed and nodded, going to the sink to wash my hands of all the grit and grime they'd acquired. I didn't feel like washing off my face because I was just going to get back under the car after I ate anyway. I took my bag over to a couch in the corner of the garage and pulled out my phone. I smiled when I saw I'd received a new text. "_I miss you. Is that strange?_"

It must've been a slow day at the university for him. I smiled and replied back to it with, "No. I miss you, too." I did miss him. It was weird that we fell asleep together, but neither of us seemed to mind it all _that _much. He was a warm body and he was friendly. Hell, we've now advanced to the dating stage. I'm sure this is the fastest, yet most enjoyable relationship I've ever had.

I started to eat my ham sandwich, then my phone vibrated on my knee. I smiled and read his message. "_Driving around with Quin. Thinking about you._"

I set my sandwich down in my lap and texted him back. "Eating lunch. Thinking about you too." We kept going back and forth like this for the next ten minutes until I heard the door slam across the garage. I looked up to see none other than my father, standing there disapprovingly. _Shit._ He sauntered over to me and tried to look at me with his chin raised. "You might want to lower your head. You'll hurt your neck," I whispered.

His eyes met mine in a cold glare. "You may want to shut your mouth or you'll be on your knees, begging me for mercy." I relaxed into the couch. He'd thrown me down on my knees before, had me forcibly put down on my knees. To this day, I have _never _begged him for anything. Mom was the one who begged him for money, to spend time with me, to help me with my job. Mom begged him to accept me and he never would.

"What do you want?"

"I came to see how my only _child_ was faring at work." He looked down at my cell phone as it vibrated. He reached down to grab it and I slipped it into a pocket. "Let me see it now. Are you still sucking men's cocks?"

"You can't have anything that _I _pay for myself." That had been an agreement a lawyer made once I was starting to get older because he kept taking my things from mom's house. Hell, he even took my car one day. That had been the final straw and I went to a lawyer because I paid the bills for my own phone, my own car, and my own utilities. I helped mom pay since she wasn't able to get a job too.

He ground his teeth together. "Are you still sucking men's cocks?"

I rolled my eyes, pulling my phone out. "If I am, that's my business." I read Obi-Wan's text. He told me he was on his lunch break if I was available. I wrote him back and gave him my work address, asking if he wanted to stop over and see me.

"You're an absolute disappointment, Anakin Skylar Palpatine."

I snorted. "I kept mom's maiden name, so fuck you. I'm not one of the fucking Palpatines."

He raised his hand to hit me and I didn't even flinch. The phone vibrated again and he glared. "You're a disgrace. I can't believe I have a whore for a son."

I chuckled quietly and got up, slipping my phone into my pocket. I wandered over to the garage door and pushed it up. The police car was parked in the lot and I smiled when I saw Quin and Obi-Wan in it. I all but ran to the car and Quin slid the window down since he was in the passenger seat. "Hey, lover boy," Quin teased. "I was texting for Obi. I told him driving and texting isn't safe, but he insisted on talking to you."

I leaned closer and smiled at Obi-Wan. "Well, thank you, Quin."

Quin glanced around me and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is the Senator doing here?"

"Palpatine is Anakin's father." Quin's jaw snapped at it dropped. "Hello, Anakin. I missed you a lot."

I laughed, lowering my head to try to hide my blush. "I missed you. Do you two want to come out and sit down for lunch?" I glanced over my shoulder to see my father standing there, his arms crossed over his chest. He seemed upset with me and I didn't even care. My choice of love was none of his business.

I moved aside so Quin could open his door and Obi-Wan shut the car off before getting out himself. He came closer to me and rested his hand on my bicep. "So is this my son's new cock to suck?" I grit my teeth and kept my eyes locked on Obi-Wan's. "You look a little too old to be his new boyfriend."

I was about to snap and I think Obi-Wan sensed it or something because his arm slid around my waist. I stared at his face and calmed down considerably. "No one is sucking anyone." Quin was about to speak up, but Obi-Wan gave him a glare to silence him. Obi-Wan rubbed my hipbone slowly. "I _am _Anakin's boyfriend, but we're taking our relationship at a moderate pace."

My father scoffed at him, looking him over. "I don't see why you even want my whore of a son." He shook his head when Obi-Wan tensed against me. He stepped forward and Quin moved in between him and us, crossing his muscled arms over his buff chest.

"Obi and Anakin are two very responsible and happy men." He didn't scare my father one bit. No one ever could or would. The bastard knew everyone in the city as well as state and several others. He could easily have Quin hunted and killed if he threatened him enough.

He sighed and shook his head. "Well, it'll only be a quick fuck for him nonetheless, so good luck if you're trying to win his heart." My heart tightened and my stomach dropped. "My son's a heartless whore. You're wasting your time." He was comparing me to _him._ He had no relationships. They were all one night stands for him. I'd only had one of those in my life and we both agreed that it wouldn't happen again because it was awkward.

Obi-Wan wouldn't put up with this anymore. He took my hand and led me away from him. Quin didn't follow at first, but we both knew he would. Obi-Wan and I sat alongside the garage and Quin, as we knew he would, joined us. "Man, your dad is more of a prick than I thought he was."

"He's the biggest asshole I know," I whispered.

Quin knelt in front of me and messed with my hair. "Hey, no matter what's happened in your past, you're a good kid. You make my Obi happy and that's what matters to me." He punched my shoulder gently and laughed. "You've got a good head on your shoulders even with a mother fucker like that riding your ass."

I shrugged. "You get used to it when he's your _dad_, I guess."

"Anakin, your phone is vibrating," Obi-Wan whispered beside me. I jerked my arm around so I could grab the phone from my pocket.

I smiled and answered. "Hey, Snippy girl. Aren't you supposed to be in _school?_"

Ahsoka Tano, one of my mom's friend's daughters had grown up with me. Well, to some extent. She's six years younger than me. We used to live next door to one another until she had to move, but we kept in contact since then. Hell, she couldn't have moved too far. She still went to school around her. "_Skyguy, I want to get out of here. Can you come get me?_"

Obi-Wan was giving me a look that almost _shouted _his jealousy and curiosity. I leaned closer and kissed his jaw. "You're sixteen. I can't legally take you out of school, especially since I'm not on your guardian list."

"_Oh, please, Ani. I want to go somewhere else but here. We could go to that gay bar you took me to a few months ago._"

I snickered. "Hey, you promised you wouldn't bring that up again. Your mom wasn't too happy with me." Shaak Koon was her mother and she was _very _protective of her little girl. Her new husband was just as protective as Shaak was when it came to the kid. "I can pick you up _after _school, your mother willing."

"_She still likes you. You're a cute, sweet guy._"

I smiled. "Sure, sure." I could hear her bell ring on the other end. "Hey, it was good to hear from you, Soka. Let me know if your mom would be okay with me getting you after school. I _do _have a date tonight though."

She seemed to squeal a little on the other end. "_Can I help you get ready? Mom taught me some new things! Plus, I'm just looking for an excuse to see you again._"

I rolled my eyes and leaned against Obi-Wan. He draped his arm around my shoulders and held my right shoulder gently. "Sure, Soka. Ask your mom and call me back after school, okay?"

"_See you, Ani!_" She was rushed off the phone by whatever teacher was in the area and I put my phone back.

Quin was looking at us with an amused smile plastered on his face. I felt Obi-Wan's lips pressing into my hair and I closed my eyes. I snapped them open when I realized I was probably getting grease and oil and all kinds of other shit on his nice police attire. I pulled back and he looked hurt. Needless to say, I got shit all over him. "Fuck, I'm sorry."

He laughed lightly. "It's all right, Anakin." He lifted his hand to caress the side of my face and I _melted _into his hand. "I'd much rather hold you." I leaned against him again and _tried _not to get anything else on him. We stayed like this and relaxed for a few minutes until the radio in their car went off, saying they were needed a few blocks away from here. He pulled me up with him and kissed my forehead, holding the sides of my face lovingly as he did. "I'm sorry that I have to leave you so quickly, Anakin. I'll see you for dinner in a few hours?"

"Wan, come on, man!"

I nodded at Obi-Wan and he looked so hesitant to leave me. He pulled me closer and kissed my neck while hugging me. I chuckled and returned the hug before we were both separated and he was running off towards his car. He hopped in and Quin gave me a quick wave and wink before Obi-Wan drove off with the sirens blaring on the top of their car. I went back into the shop once he'd gotten out of my sight and I couldn't help but think about him until I finished work for the day.

**Later.**

"You're still just as awkward as you were in high school." I drank a few shots I poured myself and glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "I'm just glad you never drank while you were a teenager." I smiled casually and downed another shot, pouring what was probably my third or fourth one. She raised an eyebrow at me, pushing her blonde hair with blue streaks back behind her ears.

"Oh, I drank," I said quietly. "I have only been drunk once in my life and that was at a wedding. I did a lot of stupid things in high school that you better not be doing." She got up on the counter and looked at my bottle. "No ideas, little one. Your mom will never let you come over again if you do."

She giggled. "I think alcohol smells disgusting and I vowed to myself that I'll never drink it."

I snorted. "I said the same thing when I was your age and look at me." I went into mom's cupboard and pulled out her pack of cigarettes that she tried to hide from me. I grabbed her small lighter and lit one, only to have Ahsoka growl in disgust. "It's a very nasty habit."

"Then why do you do it? You're going to give yourself lung cancer." I heard her mutter, "Dumbass," under her breath.

"I'm having dinner with dad tonight." She stared, knowing that I was on edge about it. He showed up at work today, which _never _happened. He would more than likely show up to dinner tonight and I wasn't looking forward to it. I'd been hoping that I'd be able to spend the night alone with Obi-Wan. I exhaled a bit of smoke and she coughed.

"Asshole! Secondhand smoking kills, too!" I rolled my eyes and moved over to the one window that wasn't broken. I opened it with one hand, holding the cigarette in the other. I smoked towards the window and over the sink so as not to bother her anymore. "I know things between you and your dad are rough, Ani, but that shouldn't drive you to ruin your body like this."

I shrugged and glanced at my watch. "I'll have the cig tossed and the pack put away before my date shows up." She'd been here with me for almost two hours. The first hour had been spent playing video games on my old system from when I was younger. It was only five thirty, so I still had plenty of time to relax and prep myself before Obi-Wan came over.

She hopped off of the counter and moved to stand behind me. I was hunched over the sink and I glanced over my shoulder as she pressed herself against my back and wrapped her arms around my waist. "I worry about you a lot, Ani. You're like my big brother." She nuzzled my back and I put my empty hand on one of hers. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I love you a lot."

I smiled and squeezed her hand. "I love you too, Snips." I finished off my cigarette a few minutes later and I put it out and in an ashtray. I put all of my alcohol and glasses away and then we went up to my old room. Well, it was still my room whenever I stayed here with mom, but I did still have an apartment of my own.

She said she wanted me to look really good for tonight, so she asked me where we were going and I told her. She gasped louder than I thought possible. "Anakin, you say that so _nonchalantly!_ That place is the biggest place in the city! Maybe even in the state!" And that was only the beginning to her fussing with my hair. It was already cropped and I could get away with a messy hairdo, but that just didn't work with Ahsoka Tano, the queen of all things beauty related. "So, Anakin?"

"Mm?"

"How have you been since the, uh, the accident?"

"Are you referring to my hand or the car accident?"

She seemed to wince a bit, but massaged my scalp for a few moments as she spoke. "Either. The hand looks a lot better than I remember seeing it last." I smiled weakly. I was glad it wasn't too noticeable then. "Mainly the car accident though. Your mom called my mom the night it happened."

I sighed and she kept weaving her fingers through my short hair. "Well, the hand works a bit better. I'm still having a hard time feeling." I smirked and threw out, "It's still good for jacking off." She choked and I snickered. "It's got a lot more power than I thought it would by now. As for the accident, I'm coping. It's been difficult without Tru, but-"

"You have a new boyfriend, don't you?" I answered her with a grin and she squealed so loud that my own ears popped. "You _have _to tell me about him, Anakin Skylar Skywalker! Keep no details in!" She pushed me onto my back on my bed and laid on top of me, looking at me adoringly with quite a bit of interest.

"You are _such _a teenage girl," I teased. She laid her head on my chest and I slid my arms around her tiny body. "Well, I met him when he pulled me from Tru's car." I closed my eyes and just pictured his face in my mind. I could see his sweet smile and that sexy hair and body of his. He was an all around attractive man and he had a huge heart as well. "His name is Obi-Wan."


	7. Chapter 7

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

Anakin and I sat at the table that would seat four people. He was uneasy when he saw the fourth seat upon giving his father's name so we could find our table. He and I sat beside one another and I saw his hand shaking as he looked at the menu. I reached out tentatively and lightly touched his knuckle. He jumped and set the menu down, glancing at me entirely. "Sorry," he whispered. "Nerves." He lowered his head and I entwined our fingers.

I wanted to say I understood, but I really didn't. I never had any dinners like this with family. I had gone out to dinner with Qui-Gon, but it had only been the two of us. "Anakin, there's no need to be sorry." I wasn't sure what to say to him. He seemed so down and I felt like anything I said would just make things worse. I squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile that I hoped gave off the warm effect I wanted it to have on him. "How's…" I paused and he raised an eyebrow. "How's your mom doing? You haven't talked about her much."

His eyes darkened slightly. "She's doing better. Dad saw her earlier today, I guess." He frowned. "I took Ahsoka to see her after I picked the kid up from school. Mom was happy to see her." He leaned closer and nuzzled his head against my jaw gently. I smiled. "Soka and I grew up together, I guess. She's six years younger than me."

"That's wonderful, Anakin." He sat back up and I rubbed his knuckles with my thumb. He stared down at the hand, frowning at it, and I wanted to ask him what was wrong until I realized that it was his damaged hand. "Does this bother you?" I whispered. He shrugged and I lifted my hand from his to stroke his cheek. "Tell me if it does."

He gave me a nervous laugh and leaned into my hand. "I'm worried about it bothering _you._"

"Never," I said quietly. "I've seen a lot in my time, young one. Besides, I care very much about you. Something as little as scars aren't going to change anything between us."

He grinned and his eyes seemed to sparkle a little. It made me wonder what he was thinking right this moment. I was also curious about his boyfriend. Well, the _late _boyfriend. I wondered if he treated Anakin as I've been treating him. The boy seemed so happy around me and the way he'd screamed for… _Tru_, I think, clearly meant that he cared very much for the other boy. He was grateful to me for pulling him from the car, but his boyfriend wasn't as fortunate as he was. I was surprised by how well he was doing considering he lost someone he cared very deeply about. "What are _you _thinking?" he asked, teasing me.

I was about to answer until another voice overrode mine. "Ah, Anakin." We both looked over at where his father stood. He stepped closer and Anakin seemed to resent him with his straightened up posture and tense grip on the hand I slid closer to him for him to hold. He looked at me and gave me a disgusted look. "Who invited _you?_"

A small woman appeared at his side instantly and I saw Anakin's lip curl back in disgust. "You invited one of your whore employees?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow. "At least I had the decency of inviting someone who doesn't serve me sex on a silver platter."

He spat every word out at his father and I stared at him in awe. I was surprised by how colorful his disgust with his father was. I couldn't imagine all the reasons behind his hatred, but I knew there were far too many reasons. His father trudged closer and swung his hand back. I stood and shifted Anakin in the process. He stared up at me, shocked, and his father stopped, regaining some of his composure. Once his father sat down across from him and relaxed, I sat down and Anakin gave me a small, thankful smile. The woman sat between the two of them and I could see how tense she was.

We were all observing the menu now. Well, at least until Anakin's foot nudged mine. I looked at him to see a grin behind the menu. His leg curled around mine as best it could and I could see the game he was playing. We kept nudging our legs against the other until we were much closer than we had been and his leg was twisted around mine. I didn't mind because it made him happy. "My name is Mina," the woman said after a while. We both looked at her and she was watching Anakin carefully. "Your father has said a…_lot _about you." Anakin snorted and went back to looking the menu over. Her eyes met mine and she whispered, "I take it he's your-"

"That's his sex toy," his father interjected, smiling pleasingly at Anakin. "I told you he's a whorish _boy._"

Anakin slammed his fist on the table and his leg moved away from mine. I rested my hand on his clenched fingers and tried to soothe him by gently rubbing his damaged skin. He seemed to feel it regardless. He'd gained the attention of others in the restaurant and he cursed under his breath. "Go _fuck _yourself," he hissed at his father.

The waitress finally came, a relief to me as well as Mina. The tension in the air was overwhelming the both of us. I could see that she felt the same way about his father as I felt about him, so this was just as trying on her as it was me. I wanted to protect Anakin from his father's insults, but there wasn't much I could do, and I could tell that she wanted to keep his father from lashing out at the young boy.

We all ordered for ourselves. I asked for a simple dish of ribs and some wine. Anakin seemed more like the chicken type rather than ribs, so that's what he ordered. He asked me if we could share the wine and I nodded. His father ordered ribs for himself and Mina ordered a salad. His father wanted the strongest alcohol there was and the woman only wanted a glass of water. When the waitress left with our orders, Anakin's hand snaked over my leg, testing the waters. I watched him curiously and I saw him glancing at the spot between my legs. Heat rushed down to my groin and I tried to hide it, though my skin flushed immediately.

Anakin smirked and tentatively slid his hand over my thigh, reaching closer to _that _area. I stilled his hand before he could go any further and he didn't seem disappointed at all. I'm sure he was just curious to see how far I'd let him go. I knew he was tense, but I didn't want to have a groping session in public. He resorted to rubbing over my leg, which furthered my arousal. I don't think he _meant _to do it now, but he _was._

A twenty minute silence ensued. Well, between Anakin and his father anyway. The two of them whispered things to one another as Anakin and I were. His face was close to mine and I wanted to kiss those full lips of his. "How are you feeling?" I asked him finally. I'd taken to rubbing his thigh now and he seemed so much more relaxed under my touch.

"Better," he breathed. He rested his left hand on the one I'd placed on his thigh. "Thank you for coming with me. I don't think I'd be able to survive without you here." I touched my forehead to his and he lifted his lips to press against mine softly.

I laughed quietly. "I thought that was supposed to be _after _the second date?"

He shrugged and gave me a light peck. "It's not a real kiss," he teased. "Just you wait until after this date."

The waitress returned and we all straightened up so we could eat. I watched Anakin eat _very _politely. His mouth wasn't as cultured as his table manners were. His knee nudged mine and we resumed our nudging game. It wasn't until he nudged the table and shook the contents of it that we slowed down our game. We chuckled under our breath and shared quick glances in between swallows of food. "I still have no idea what your name is," his father said pointedly, glancing directly at me.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

He nodded silently. "What do you think of my son?"

Anakin's bites slowed as he looked at me from his peripheral vision. I chewed my latest forkful until it was entirely swallowed before responding. "I really enjoy his company," I said with a smile. "He's a sweet, young man. He cares very much about me and his friends and his mother." Anakin's lips twitched into a smile as I trailed on and on about him. "He's no whore, I assure you. We haven't come close to anything of the sort. We're getting to know one another and we're taking things _very _slowly."

His father scoffed and I grew concerned and disheartened. I knew what he was going to say would completely contradict everything I just said about the young man beside me. "How much has he told you about his past?" Anakin and I were silent. I squeezed his thigh, trying to convey that I didn't care what his father said. I cared… _No._ I _loved _him. I knew that that was probably not the best thing to say on a second date, but I was falling very hard for him. His compassion and his personality and everything about him was _perfect._ "He's involved himself in countless acts of sadomasochism since he was, what, fifteen, Anakin?"

I didn't care about what he'd done in the past. He clearly isn't an asshole like his father is and that's why I loved Anakin. He remained silent and I looked at him. His eyes were closed and I saw a few tears slip down his right cheek. My lips parted and I was crushed. "Excuse me," he said abruptly, shoving himself away from the table and away from me. He rested his hand on my shoulder briefly as he passed and I knew he didn't want me to follow him as much as I _wanted _to. He was about to breakdown and I wanted to be there to hold him.

Palpatine smiled as Anakin vanished into one of the restrooms. I leaned forward on the table. "Is ridiculing him entirely necessary?" I asked sternly. "I get that you two have hardships between one another, but what exactly is the point of hurting him for things that are in the _past?_"

He shifted his gaze to me and shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm only reminding him of the things he should be ashamed of." _Obviously, you prick._ He folded his hands in front of him, resting his chin upon them and his elbows on the table. "You'll find some small scars, I imagine, when you start fucking him."

I was appalled, not because of what he said about Anakin, but that he assumed I was just here to fuck him. Anakin wasn't a quick way to get off for me. No, he was so much more than that. I'll admit, when I was alone at night since seeing him after his car accident, I _did _jerk off to thoughts about him, but I would _never _use him like that. I wanted to get to know him personally before we became intimate, if he wanted to become intimate with me. "Excuse me," I said, displaying how _pissed _I was. I pushed my own chair back and stood, immediately turning on my heel to make my way towards the restroom. I entered and heard him crying before I saw it. He was hunched over the sink with one hand balancing him, the other trying to stifle the sobs.

I frowned, my heart clenching as I stepped towards him. I rested my hand on his back and rubbed over his spine slowly. He knew it was me without needing to look at me and confirm it. He straightened a little and rubbed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "I'm such a loser," he said angrily. "I'm so sorry."

He looked at me with raw eyes and tear stained cheeks. I tried to give him a half smile. He sniffled a little and I lifted my hand to stroke his jaw. "You're not a loser, Anakin," I said firmly. "I c…" I stopped. "Oh, fuck it," I said aloud. "I love you, okay? Nothing you've done has any bearing on that because I can see the man you are right now. Do you understand?"

He nodded and rubbed at his eyes furiously. I stopped his hands and lowered them to his sides before raising my own to gently slide over his cheeks and wipe the trail of tears away. "I love you, too," he said sheepishly. "I know we haven't known each other that long, but I feel different with you – in a good way." His voice was hoarse and I leaned closer to kiss his shoulder.

"Don't let him get to you," I said. I slid my hands down to his hips and stared up into his gorgeous eyes. "He doesn't know you for who you are. He sees the things you've done instead of the man you've become."

He smiled and rubbed his nose. "Thank you, Obi-Wan." He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before chuckling. "If we ever break up, I'm going to die. You and Tru are the only guys I've been with that actually treated me with respect and told me I'm a lot better than I thought I was." He was so much better than his mistakes and I was glad that Tru told him the same. "He's the reason I enrolled in college."

"I wish I could thank him personally. I'm glad he made you so happy and I'm glad he encouraged you."

I saw something like pain flash across his features and I could only imagine it was because we were talking about the man he'd loved before me who had died right before his very eyes. I touched his cheek and brought him back to me. "I appreciate you both equally."

"I know you do." I rubbed his cheekbones gently for a few moments, staring at his sad and beautiful features. "Anakin, can I…can I kiss you?" I asked timidly, my face heating up. He's the first man I've been with in a very long time and I felt like it was only right to ask _him _if I could kiss him the first time. He smiled and nodded. I gently held the sides of his face and I saw the trust and love in his eyes. I slid one hand around to the back of his head so I could push his face closer to mine until our lips were touching.

I didn't realize my eyes were closed until our mouths started moving a little faster. I opened one eye to see his were closed as well. His arms snaked around my midsection and he held me close to him. Our lips parted as we tilted our heads to deepen the kiss. His tongue rubbed against my lower lip and I slid my own tongue out to meet his. It felt like our mouths were enflamed. He was so warm and so beautiful at the same time. His kiss was very shy, but he seemed to know what he was doing. I was a bit more…inexperienced than he was.

When his hands slid up to my face to stroke my beard while kissing, fireworks exploded around me. Not _really_, but his kiss was so intoxicating. He was very passionate as he delicately touched the whiskers around my mouth. I felt his lips curve into a smile and I imagined he _liked _the way my beard felt against his skin. After several long moments, we parted for breath. We breathed heavily and our hands linked between us. "Holy shit," he whispered. He seemed to be _very _exhilarated and I smiled widely. "I've had a lot of kisses in my lifetime, but that was _by far _the _best._" His lips seemed fuller and a bit redder than they had been prior to our kiss, but he was _happy._

I laughed lightly, slightly embarrassed, but just as happy as he was. "I'm glad it was good," I said, still laughing a bit. "I love you." I said it without thinking, but I _meant _it. The only person I'd said that to prior to him as Qui-Gon, but Anakin _deserved _to be loved and to have my love. I couldn't continue devoting myself to someone who's been gone for nearly twenty years. I had to live in the here and now as Quinlan told me _numerous _times. It wasn't until I met Anakin that I realized how insightful that bastard could be.

He grinned from ear to ear and kissed my forehead. "And I love you." He was very bubbly now and I personally enjoyed it. It was amazing what a kiss could do to him. He'd gone from an emotional, sobbing mess to this bubbly, young man within moments. "You don't think it's weird that we feel like this already?"

He looked genuinely concerned and I shrugged. "You tell me, my dating guru." He chuckled and his cheeks reddened. "You've dated far more than I have. I…I've been with one person before you came into my life."

"I said I loved someone on a first date before," he admitted. He seemed annoyed with that, but he sighed. "I did love him, but things just…didn't work out the way I thought they would." He rubbed over my collarbone and smiled, his eyes distant. "I trust you enough to know you won't hurt me like I've been hurt before."

I took his human hand and shifted it to where my heart was pounding in my chest and held it there so he could feel his effect on me. "As long as I live, I will _never _hurt you." He was visibly relieved by that. "I won't be those other boyfriends or boys you've been with." I paused. "I won't replace Tru either, Anakin. I will be _me_ with you. You deserve the real me, not someone who will hurt you or lead you on. I want to love you and I know you want to _be _loved."

He laughed, bowing his head a little. "I want _you _to love me," he whispered. I reached a hand up to run my fingers through his small spikes and we shared a warm smile. "You're Obi-Wan Kenobi. That's all you are to me and that's all I want you to be. I'm not asking you to be anyone else."

We stayed in the restroom a few minutes longer and shared another long kiss until we were both satisfied greatly and on the biggest high _ever._ We entered the restaurant once again, our fingers locked together.


	8. Chapter 8

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Obi-Wan and I were now six months into our relationship. It is my _longest _lasting relationship and it's making me very happy. Two weeks ago, he asked me what I thought about moving into his _newly bought _home with him and I thought it was _perfect._ He helped me pack my things and I was living with him within a week. Mom visited us quite often and he seemed to like it. Whenever I asked him about it, he said he appreciated having some contact with family since he hadn't had any of his own for a long time.

We were two weeks away from Christmas and I already had a gift picked out for him. I was all giddy inside every single time I talked to mom about it and she _loved _how happy I was. She now had a key to the house just as I did and she'd walked in on us one morning. Needless to say, I think she was thrilled to see the two of us in bed together. We haven't done anything like _that _yet, but she probably assumed we did.

"Are you awake?" he whispered, cracking the door to his bedroom. I smiled, turning over to face him. He pushed the door open further and came in, clad in the robe I bought him for his birthday last month. He sat on the bed in front of my stomach and placed his hand on the mattress behind me, smiling down at me. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great," I breathed. We started visiting each other often after being together for three months and we'd started sharing beds with one another. It was fun traveling back and forth between apartments at night and it was always interesting when Quin showed up at his place. He pulled his hand back to rub over my bare bicep. He was still getting used to all the scars I had on my body and I was grateful to him when he told me he _wasn't _disgusted by them, even after I explained how I got each one he questioned.

He leaned forward and kissed my temple. "Why don't you put something warm on and join me in the kitchen? I made breakfast."

I smiled. "Does it have paint in it again?" He smiled warmly, shaking his head. That's been our little joke since we'd both eagerly painted the rooms after I moved in with him. He was excited to decorate the place and he loved receiving input from me. There was one morning where he made some eggs and bacon and he went into the bedroom to wake me up and we came out to see paint covering what _was _delicious food. That had been a fun morning and it made me smile just thinking about how much I'd made him laugh when I tried to eat the eggs regardless.

He stood up and I threw the blanket back, throwing my legs over the side he was standing on. He cupped the sides of my face lovingly and I smiled up at him. He leaned closer to me and we kissed for a few moments before he decided it was time for me to get dressed and eat with him. He hated cold food as much as I did. I pulled on one of his sweaters and left my sleep pants on. It was _really _fucking cold this morning. It made me think he'd left the air conditioner on or something, but he didn't even _have _one. "Anakin, where are my slippers?" he called out from the living room as I put my own slippers on.

"Under the dining room table," I replied, walking out of his bedroom to head into the kitchen. He chuckled from the dining room and I smiled, taking _my _seat at the kitchen table. We only used the dining room when we wanted to talk about something serious or work on bills or papers, and actually eat dinner. It was interesting when I switched my addresses at work because Dex wondered if I scored big this time. He and a few of the other guys teased me for a bit before letting up.

He grabbed the paper from the mailbox and I raised an eyebrow. "Not a word," he said as he opened it and wandered over to me. I smirked and snickered, diving right into eating my eggs. We had a perfectly good computer that he _chose _not to use. He preferred to read the newspaper for whatever his reason may be and all I'd done in response to that was shrug. He set the paper down in front of his seat and came to me, kissing my hair sweetly. "I'm glad you're in a better mood today," he whispered.

I sighed and moved my right hand towards his left, clutching it gently. "I told you that you weren't at fault for last night's rage."

"I know that, but I still didn't like seeing you so upset. What language were you yelling in?"

"It was a mixture of good and bad French."

"Who in your family is _French?_"

"My mom. Dad's a 'proper Englishman.'" He chuckled at the air quotes and messed up my already disheveled hair. "She's coming over tonight," I said quietly. He kept telling me that having her over didn't require an invitation. He happily allowed her into _our _home, but I wasn't used to that kind of thing. Whenever I'd lived with my other 'boyfriends,' they never wanted mom around and it bothered me. Obi-Wan was very open to having her come over and he actually enjoyed having her here as much as I did. There was no show for him to put on and it made me happy.

He sat in his seat and smiled at me. "That's fine. I'll make sure I cook something good for the three of us."

"Why are you the only one cooking for the two of us?"

He sat up straighter and shrugged. "I've always cooked for myself," he replied. "I don't mind cooking for you, even when you're picky." He winked and I smirked. "I've cooked meals for friends and such in the past and I enjoy it as well. If you'd ever like to learn how to cook, you can always join me, my sweet." My face flushed and I _knew _it was a darker shade of red. Each time he called me something sweet like that, my face went full on _tomato._ He laughed and I grinned despite the embarrassing shade I'd turned.

We ate quietly until his cell rang and I looked up at him. "We can't even have a morning alone," I teased. He'd been getting calls a lot lately from his friend, Satine. I didn't really mind, but she kept calling and calling and it was getting kind of annoying. It really pissed me off one morning when she called at two in the morning. I hadn't been able to get back to sleep until eight in the evening that same day. Obi-Wan felt horrible about that because I had a major exam that day. I'd passed it, but he started blocking all phone calls at night. If there was an emergency, they'd call _my _phone.

I was shocked that Obi-Wan actually gave Quin my number, but I suppose it worked for various things – like Obi-Wan's surprise birthday party he and I arranged.

He excused himself and got up, leaving to go find his phone in our room. I listened and chewed quietly, hoping that nothing horrible had happened overnight. We hadn't gotten a call from Quin last night, so I figured there hadn't been any emergency situations. "Luminara, slow down," he said loudly in the bedroom. I raised an eyebrow, watching the door to the room. "Calm down, please. Tell me what happened."

I set my fork down and pushed my chair back, getting up to head over to the doorway. I glanced in to see him with a shocked and hurt expression. His eyes met mine and he held his hand out towards me. I moved closer and he slid his arm around my waist, holding me against him. I could hear Luminara shouting over the phone since I was this close to him. I didn't want to intrude, but he'd wanted me here. "_I told you he was reckless! I need you to come down here now, sweetie pie. He's unconscious and we're worried that he'll go into a coma._"

I looked up at him and I assumed Quin had gotten hurt again, but it sounded worse this time. "I'll be there soon, my dear," he said quietly. She said a few more things that I chose not to listen to because this was _his _conversation, not mine. "Yes." A pause. "Yes, Luminara, I will."

He said a quiet good-bye before hanging up. "What happened?" I asked worriedly.

"Quin and that damn motorcycle of his," he said, sighing. "I'm glad _you _convinced him to start wearing a helmet, but the fool always manages to hurt himself regardless of precautions." He wrapped his arms around me tightly and kissed my cheek. "Promise me you won't do any of the stupid ass things he does," he pleaded.

"I promise."

He sighed in relief, nodding and reluctantly releasing me. "Let's finish breakfast. Afterwards, do you mind if we head over to the hospital to see his dumb ass?" I chuckled and shook my head, taking his hand. I led him back to the table and he sat down to eat. I sat across from him and finished eating about five minutes later. When he finished eating, a sudden idea struck me and I was curious. I got up and he watched me.

I stopped in front of him and he slid his chair back. I lowered myself onto his lap and straddled him. I brushed his hair out of his eyes and kissed his nose. "You stress too much," I whispered.

He smirked and pressed his lips to mine for a moment. "You don't stress enough," he teased. "It's my job to stress, so I do it for us both." He slid his hand up to my hip and lifted the sweater up a bit. _Fuck._ "I'm stressing over _you._"

"Obi–"

"Don't you '_Obi_' me, Anakin." He touched the new wound that started above the waistline of my pants, but disappeared into them. My heart sank and all of the happiness just died. "Tell me what's going on." He sounded concerned and I knew he was. He and Tru just had that voice that told me they were worried and I _hated _worrying them. "You're blowing through cigarettes even though I told you I wanted you to _try _not to smoke anymore and I'm finding new cuts on you every few days."

I sighed and tried to move off of him, but he held me down. "It's nothing important," I said quietly.

"Nothing important," he repeated, sounding like he didn't believe me. I guess he had a right to not believe me. "So if I begin chain smoking and cutting, it'll be okay? You'll let me do it?"

I swallowed hard and tore my eyes away from his. "No."

"Talk to me," he pleaded. "I love you. You know I do. If you love me as much as you say you do, then why can't you talk to me?"

"It's my parents, okay?" I all but yelled at him. He looked stunned. I frowned and he moved his hands towards my back to clasp his hands behind me. I stared into his eyes and I could see that he wanted me to expand on that. I sighed before continuing. "Mom wants to get back together with my dad, or at least try to. She wants to 'be a family' for me and I've been trying so hard to deter her from him."

He nodded slowly, leaning forward to kiss my chest. "Why didn't you talk to me about it?" He sounded hurt and it only made sense for him to feel that way. I've told him so many times that I trust him with my life, so it must hurt him when he knows something's bothering me and I won't talk to him before taking things into my own hands.

I sighed and kissed him tentatively. He returned the kiss slowly, rubbing my lower back. "I'm sorry," I said when he broke the kiss to nuzzle my throat. "I've been trying to deal with it on my own, but-"

"Anakin," he said sternly, pulling back to look at my face, "my sweet, we are in this together. We _are _together. I am here to support you at any given moment of time, no matter what." I smiled warmly and appreciatively at him and he stroked my hair, messing with the spikes that were beginning to lengthen and curl.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"You're welcome, Anakin." He slid his arms around me, rubbing my back. He was still concerned. There was no way he wouldn't be. He cared a _lot _about me, which I'm sure is part of why he wanted me to live with him. He kept worrying that something would happen to me if he wasn't there to protect me, not that I really _required _protection, but I humored him with that anyway. I liked living with him. I got to sit with him when he was grading papers or working on a case. I got to sit with him in general. We could curl up together on the couch we bought and watch a movie, eat some popcorn, and just talk as the credits rolled while the music played.

I leaned forward and rested my head on his shoulder, pressing my lips against his neck. "I love you, Obi." I really do. I could tell him I loved him more often after we started going on frequent dates and frequently spent the night in one of our apartments together.

His hand rested on the back of my head, playing with my hair. He said he liked that it was getting longer and I'd jokingly told him I wasn't going to be the feminine half of the relationship, even though I'm sure it seemed like I was most of the time. When we argued about something as simple as his kitchen, I was the emotional one, apologizing and practically begging for forgiveness. He told me he didn't want me to grovel at his feet because he wanted to stand on an equal level with me and we've been pretty good at that thus far. I think I've only groveled two or three times. "I love you, Ani," he replied. I smiled to myself. He caught on to what my mom nicknamed me and I liked that.

He gently tugged on my hair and I lifted my head only to have his warm, soft lips press against mine. I moaned into his mouth as our lips parted. We kept this up for a few moments until it got...awkward, I guess. I felt him harden beneath me and I'm sure he felt me do the same against him. "Sorry," I said sheepishly, my face burning.

He smiled and kissed my chest. For the very first time since getting together, he moved his hand down and rubbed over my clothed erection. I shuddered and he seemed amused by that. I kept my eyes locked on his own, waiting to see what he was going to do or say. I _knew _he wasn't like the others. I'm pretty sure this is the longest I've gone without sex, too. Tru and I were doing it after dating for two _weeks._ I've been with Obi-Wan for six months and we haven't so much as touched one another there. Well, until now, that is. He rubbed me slowly before taking his hand away. "You know I don't live on it," he whispered. "I _do _want to someday, as long as you do, too."

I smiled, appreciating that. I wanted to jump him right now. Normally, I was the one doing the lovemaking. It's been a while since I've actually been taken and I wondered which position he preferred. "Do you prefer to have someone inside of you or to be inside of someone?" I asked rather bluntly, clearly not thinking it through before I spoke.

His face exploded in red. "I, uh, um..." He looked nervous as hell and maybe a little bit..._afraid? _"Anakin," he whispered. I raised an eyebrow in question, only receiving his silent stare. Then it hit me.

"No way," I said. "Really?" He looked down and I smiled. I don't know why, but I was kind of excited that I would be his first. How the hell did he go thirty-eight years without ever making love to _anyone?_

"I understand if that's not what you're interested in. I have no experience at all. I'm very-"

I crushed him with a kiss, laughing into it. When I pulled back, I gave him a warm smile. "My lover," I said with another small laugh, pecking his lips, "I don't care that you're a virgin. Well, I do. I'm afraid of making it the _worst _first time ever, but I don't mind it at all."

He smiled back, and the redness in his face slowly dissipated. He rubbed his face against my chest and I laughed quietly. "You're experienced in this field. I'm sure you know what you're doing. The most I'd actually participated in sex was, well, you know..."

I smirked. "I'll try to make it enjoyable and pleasurable for you."

Much to my surprise, he lifted me up as he stood. He held me with his hands below my thighs. My feet dangled behind him and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He took me into our bedroom and lowered me to the bed quickly, crawling on top of me simultaneously. I had my knees bent at his sides and I ran my fingers through his hair while his lips sucked and kissed my neck.

My eyes were shut and I was moaning. My body seemed to react before I had the chance to think about anything at all. I was in ecstasy with the feel of his lips against my pulsating veins. "I love you," he whispered, his breath warm on my skin.

"And I love you." He rubbed my abdomen, moving towards the hem of my pants to start yanking them down. He growled hungrily when I lifted my hips to make it easier for him. I took the sweater I had on off before I helped him remove his clothing. We stripped each other and were now entirely naked in one another's presence for the first time. I would map out every last part of my Obi-Wan Kenobi - no matter how long it would take. I had eternity to spend with him.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: A sex scene is included at the beginning of this chapter. Just warning you in advance if you'd prefer not to read it. It's probably not all that great anyway. **

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

For the first time in my life, I was going to make love. I was nervous, mainly because this was far from being his first time. He knew exactly what to do, whereas I did not. He guided me to sensitive areas on his neck and I sucked each one. I nuzzled into where his neck met shoulder and elicited a moan from him. I found several scars across the front of his body alone and I told myself that I would find each one and kiss it softly. Perhaps not today, but we had a while.

When I refocused on the man beneath me, I saw the love in his beautiful blue eyes. I leaned forward to suck at his jaw. He grabbed me and brought my lips to his. He said he'd teach me how to shove my tongue down his throat, so I paid attention to what he did with his. He pressed his against my lips and I opened my mouth, allowing him entrance. His hands rubbed at my bare chest and I moved my fingers through his curling spikes. His tongue slid against the roof of my mouth before he took mine to dance with his.

Our erections rubbed together and we moaned into each other's mouths. He slowly moved our bodies and tongues. He wasn't taking control. He was teaching me. "Anakin," I tried to say. It was muffled into his mouth. He pulled back to give me a silent smile. "What do I do next?" I felt the heat rise in my face, but he caressed my cheek.

"Well, if you're going to be on top, you'll have to get me ready for you." I gave him a blank stare, not exactly knowing what he wanted me to do. He laughed quietly and took my left hand. He sucked on my fingers and my cock throbbed. He closed his eyes and moved his head back and forth. He must've known that he was affecting me because his hand snaked down my body to rub pre-cum over my head gently. For added measure, he rubbed our tips together, mingling our fluids on me.

"Anakin," I groaned. He released my fingers and urged me to move up. When I did, his hot mouth wrapped around my head. "Oh, fuck," I snarled. I'd never felt this before, but it felt _amazing._ His head bobbed up and down the length of my cock at an excruciatingly slow pace. My eyes rolled back into my head and he continued his motions until my grip on his hair tightened. He continued sucking on me for a minute or so and then he pulled away to gasp while I watched him lie back on our bed. He rested his head on the pillow and spread his legs. I reached up to have him suck on my fingers again, finally understanding how this worked. If he wasn't properly prepared, this would pain him greatly. I wanted to avoid that as much as I possibly could.

Once his saliva slicked my fingers, I moved my hand to insert them into him gingerly. He moaned and I made a scissoring motion to open him up while he writhed and squirmed beneath me. He looked so beautiful… I couldn't imagine making love to anyone more beautiful and sweet than this man. Once he knew he was ready, he gave me the go ahead and I shifted us as was necessary. He lifted his hips and I moved into him, afraid that I'd be pitiful in comparison to the others he had sex with before me.

I voiced my concerns as we started slowly because he asked me if I was okay in between gasps. As I blushed furiously, he taught me a rhythm that pleased us both and he showed me how to angle myself to hit his prostate. I knew it was a sensitive area inside of us, but I'd never felt what he was feeling right now and I could only imagine that I'd soon find out. As frightening as that seemed, I was eager. I was taking him even though I knew I wasn't his first. He yelped every now and then when I'd hurt him and I tried my best to keep from hurting him. He managed to say, "Par for the course," in between breathy pants and moans. After a while, I was comfortable with what I was doing and I proceeded to thrust without his guidance.

When I began to speed up a little, feeling confident, he lurched up from the bed and wrapped his arms around my neck. He growled painfully, but held onto me for dear life. I knew he didn't want to stop, but I hated hurting him. His arms were tightening around my neck and he was breathing as heavily as I was. I had one hand on the mattress to balance myself while my other arm held him against me. I could feel the scars of his back pressed and rubbing against my forearm. Our chests were slicked with sweat and he was slippery against me. "Oh, oh…" He moaned when I hit his prostate repeatedly. "Oh, my God," he cried out. "Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan!"

He was close and I was ready to come undone as well. His breathless voice and erratic panting was going to throw me over the edge. He kept saying my name, breathing it into my neck while pressing kisses against my vein. That was it for me. "Anakin!" I yelped, releasing into his tight warmth with a shuddering gasp. I thrust into him slowly until I was sure every last drop of me was inside of him. I pulled myself out of him and laid his sweaty body onto the bed. I gasped slowly for air, staring at his face. His eyes didn't betray the happiness on his face. He had a wide grin on his face and then I noticed the slight twitch further down his body. He was so very close. I lowered my mouth to _his _throbbing cock now. He was ready to come and I would make sure he did. I was looking for a reason to taste him now anyway.

"I love you," he whispered. I wrapped my lips around his cock and bobbed my head up and down the way he'd done to me earlier. I tried to picture him doing more of this to me and I knew exactly what I liked now, so I tried some things on him in hopes of discovering his likes and dislikes. I swirled my tongue around the skin as I sucked and made sure the head was engulfed by my lips each time I came back. Loud groans erupted from him until he finally let go. When he came, I swallowed his warm seed without thinking about it, without hesitating. For this being my first time, I'd been very eager to taste him. He growled until he was done and then we were both sated. I moved back up to lie beside him and he curled up against me lazily, smiling. "I love you so much, Obi."

I returned his lazy smile. "I love you just as much, my sweet Ani." He rested his head on my chest and his hair stuck to me. His breathing echoed mine, and I could only imagine his happiness did, too. I draped my arm around his shoulders and he threw his arm over my waist. This man was utterly beautiful. I still couldn't believe that people had hurt him in the past. He's been such a wonderful lover. I would never even consider hurting him – emotionally or physically. He just kept smiling and I hoped that was a good thing. I hoped I'd done at least something decent in comparison to_ anyone. _ I wanted to know what he thought because he had _so _much experience. I didn't want to ruin lovemaking or sex or whatever it was for him. I wanted to know what he wanted me to do for him or to him to make him the happiest he could be. Just having him here, in this room, in this bed with me was _all _I needed.

His presence was enough to make me happy. Making love to him was beautiful, but it wasn't a necessity. It was so intimate between us, as all of our kisses and light touches had been over the last several months. This man… I sighed happily and rubbed the shoulder I'd latched onto gently.

His sweaty body rubbed against mine as he shifted to get more comfortable and he sighed contentedly. "That was amazing," he whispered. I found that hard to believe. He had a lot of sexual partners before me. How was that amazing for him when it was my very first time? He must have realized that I was thinking about that and he kissed my chest. "You're the biggest I've had," he said, eliciting a huge blush on my face. "You were very slow and cautious."

"Could that be because you're my first?"

"That's part of it, but the pace showed that you love me, that you don't want to hurt me." He knew I would never hurt him. Never in a million years would I hurt him. I pulled him on top of me so we were chest to chest. He smiled wider. I played with his hair until I lifted my head to press my lips to his.

I'm not sure how long we'd stayed in bed, but the distant sound of the phone ringing brought us out of our fantasy world where only the two of us existed. I flipped him onto his back and he laughed. "Quick shower?" I asked him.

"Together?"

"If you would like-" Before I had the chance to finish, he was dragging me into our bathroom. We got in and I turned the water on. We took a few moments to share quick, loving kisses. I held his hips and his hands were on my shoulders. When we parted, we set to washing ourselves. He let me wash first and then he washed my back. When he'd finished washing himself, it was my turn to clean his back. I found one deep gash on his lower back. It wasn't new and I was afraid of bringing up some unwanted memories.

"That was what my dad referred to before," he whispered painfully. I remembered what his father said and Anakin remembered what I said to him about how I loved him regardless of his past. Nothing he said could easily deter me. "One of my boyfriends had a pain-pleasure kink and he took pleasure in watching me hurt."

I finished his back and wrapped my arms around him, kissing his right shoulder blade. "I'll never do anything like that to you. I promise." He turned around to face me, his eyes showing me how much he trusted me and his lips showing me how much he loved me. He wrapped his strong arms around me and sighed contentedly. I smiled and stroked his wet hair. "I love you, Anakin."

"I love you, Obi-Wan." I kissed his hair and he laughed quietly. "I love when you kiss and hold me," he whispered.

"Good," I said with a laugh, "because I like doing both of those." I was beginning to feel somewhat drained as an aftereffect of the lovemaking, or so I assumed. He took control of our motions in the shower and gently pressed me against the tiled wall. My back was cool, whereas the hot water rained down on his back. He kissed my neck lovingly, holding my hand with his left and my hip with his right. I smiled and moaned when he'd suck at one of my sensitive spots. Heat rushed down to my groin and ignited it once again. I found myself wondering how it felt to have him inside of me and I was just about to ask him if he was willing to try it with me…until the doorbell rang faintly. He stopped and I closed my eyes. Of course someone had to interrupt us.

Without speaking, he pressed his lips against mine, gave me a reassuring smile, and turned the water off. We stepped out and he took the liberty of grabbing towels for the both of us. He handed me one and wrapped the other around his waist. I watched him, wishing I could slow time down for just a little while. When he lifted his head, he laughed lightly. "I love you," he whispered, raising his hand to stroke my beard.

Now the doorbell was beginning to ring a bit more. It was clearly irritating him. "I love you," I said, smiling warmly at him. "Go get dressed. I'll go see who's at the door." He nodded and we both exited the bathroom. He headed back into our room and grumbled something under his breath as the doorbell rang several more times. I sighed and shook my head, opening the door. "Yes?"

"Where the hell have you been?" Luminara all but screamed in my face. "I've been trying to call you for the last two hours, Obi!" Had it really been that long?

"My sweet, please re-"

"Don't you tell me to relax, Obi-Wan Kenobi!" That was when Anakin returned. He was toweling his hair and Luminara growled, "So you had time to love on your boyfriend while Quin could possibly be dying?" She finally realized that my own hair was wet. Hell, my body was still dripping wet and I was wrapped in a towel. How she was just now noticing it, I didn't know.

"You're being a bit dramatic, don't you think?" She glared at me and Anakin came closer. I could just feel the possessive emotions radiating behind me. I sighed. "We'll be there shortly. Just take it easy. Quin's survived worse, I assure you." She rolled her eyes and came into the house, rushing past Anakin to head into our kitchen. He glanced at me worriedly and I shook my head. "She clearly hasn't taken her medication this morning," I whispered to him. "It's no big deal. She'll calm down soon."

"I'll, uh, keep an eye on her," he said, smiling weakly. I knew his nervous look when I saw it and this was it. His eyes darted between mine and the floor. "You go get dressed." I leaned forward and lifted my hand to pull his face closer to mine. Damn him for being taller than me. I kissed him sweetly for a few moments before nodding and heading towards our bedroom.

I pulled on a red shirt and my pair of jeans. I smiled when I saw myself in the mirror. I guess I do look decent in red. Anakin loved it on me. He told me that quite often actually. I liked how blacks and blues looked on him. I quickly toweled my hair before stepping out into the hallway. "Anakin, I'm sure things will be fine. It sounds perfect, sweetie."

"You've known him longer than I have," he said quietly. "I'm trying to figure out if he'll actually _like_ it." If I'll like what? He hasn't brought anything like this up to me. Why was he speaking to Luminara about it? I wondered just what _it _was. "I've never been this in love with someone before and I just want to make every little thing perfect for him…" He trailed off and sighed. "I love him a lot and I want to show him that."

I smiled a little at that. Always the sweetheart. Though his anger wasn't fun to deal with, he was an absolute sweetheart and sappy romantic beneath that. "I can assure you he'll love it." God damn. Could they just tell me what it was already?

"I hope so…"

I internally groaned, finally coming out. I went into the kitchen where the two of them sat, sipping coffee. I stood behind his chair and rubbed his shoulder, leaning down to press my lips to his hair. He set his coffee down and lifted his hand to stroke the side of my face. "All right," I whispered. "Let's go see Quinlan." Anakin laughed a little and stood up. As soon as he turned to face me, I smothered him with a hug. He loved when I surprised him with hugs. Luminara was always shocked when I did it because I'd been against physical displays of affection. I preferred saying that I loved someone over showing them, but something about Anakin made me want to show him. Words weren't good enough for him. He needed actions to back up those words and I liked that about him.

"My car's low on gas," Luminara said with a sigh. "Can one of you drive?"

Anakin nodded. "I'll drive. On the way back, we'll fill up one of the storage containers and I'll put the gas in for you." Oh how I loved having a mechanic for a boyfriend. He was so good with cars. I had no idea how to fix brakes or do anything under the hood of the car. He knew exactly what the problem was within a matter of minutes and he explained things to me so I was up to speed with his thought process. Dealing with cars was the equivalent to him cooking. We didn't understand either of those respectively. I tried to teach him how to cook a few weeks back and that had gone terribly wrong, but I had to cuddle him and tell him repeatedly that I appreciated what he did. He was always so pissed off when he did something wrong around me. He tried too hard to impress me and I wish he saw how much I loved him already. He didn't have to try so hard.

He grabbed my set of keys, knowing that the Corsica was the closest one to pull out. He hated the car with a burning passion and vowed he'd never drive it, but he's driven it a few times. A bit recklessly, if I may add. He wanted to test the brakes after he fixed them before. He'd treated it like a racecar and that had probably been the most frightening experience in my life. He got in and unlocked the other doors. I was definitely given the right to sitting in the passenger's seat because it was my car and he was my boyfriend, so that left Luminara the only option of sitting in the back. She sighed and climbed in. As soon as her door shut and all of our belts were on, Anakin started up the car and backed out of our driveway. I don't know how he missed Luminara's car since she'd done a _horrible_ park-job against the curb, but he was pretty skilled with anything car-related.

I smiled at him as he drove and he seemed to notice it. He smiled though his eyes were focused on the road and the other cars around him. He lowered the hand that wasn't on the wheel to mine and I intertwined our fingers. It was so different to look at him now and know what he looked like naked. I could look at him and imagine him sweating either above me or below me now. I'm pretty sure he'd love to know that and I'm sure Quin would get a kick out of it as well. I'd never been one to give a damn about sex, but that was because I'd never had it until today. Now that I was no longer a virgin, I was excited just looking at him. I knew how good it felt and I knew how great it was to do it with him. I still found it funny how Anakin brought out all of the hidden aspects of myself that I never thought I'd see. He did what no one else could. He brought me to life.


	10. Chapter 10

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"You're a damn fool," he said. We'd been here for three hours already and Obi-Wan was already arguing with Quin. I rolled my eyes as Luminara sighed beside me. "Anakin's been trying to show you how to _safely _ride that damned bike and you still manage to injure yourself!"

The man I made love with earlier was hidden beneath the parental man he was. He had no children, but it sure felt like Quin was one of his kids. "Okay, mom," Quin said teasingly, "I'll be more careful next time." Obi-Wan's face was burning. It was hard not to tease him, but I love him and I know he's actually angry at Quin. The two of them have been friends forever. I could see that he was resisting the urge to slap Quinlan.

I stood up from my chair and cleared my throat. "Obi, why don't we go to the vending machine and get some chips or something?" I asked tentatively, hoping he wasn't going to snap at me now. He turned and gave me a slight glare. My stomach did a flip and then his features softened. He extended his hand towards me and I moved forward, taking it.

He led me out of Quin's room and we walked down a few hallways in silence. I shot a few sidelong glances at him, hoping he'd open up to me. I know I hadn't particularly been open with him, but I would try harder now. I knew I could trust him and I hoped he could trust me, too. Well, if he didn't after earlier, I'd be kind of shocked. "I'm sorry, Ani," he whispered. "He's like my brother. I've known him too long and I don't want to lose him."

I moved closer to him and swung an arm around his waist. "I know, love." We got to the room with the vending machine and I pulled my wallet out. He was standing behind me, absently playing with the hem of my shirt. I pulled out a few ones and smiled. "What do you want, lover?"

"Doritos," he whispered. I moved forward and he moved with me. I slid the dollar into the machine and pressed the combination for E-five. It slid forward and dropped and Obi-Wan pressed a kiss to my left shoulder blade. "Anakin, you know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do." I raised an eyebrow as I slid another dollar in and pressed A-three for barbecued chips. "Why?"

His arms snaked around me and rubbed my abdomen. "I just want you to know that."

I laughed quietly and he bent down to grab our chips. When he stood up, he headed over to the sofa and sat down, setting the bags of chips in his lap. He patted the cushion next to him and I moved to sit beside him. "I love you, too, Obi." He handed me my bag with a smile. We opened them simultaneously and laughed quietly. I was staring into my bag and I felt his eyes on me, so I glanced at him. He was looking me over and my face flushed. "Is something wrong with me?"

He chuckled and rested his hand on my thigh before taking my hand in his. "I wish. I haven't been able to find anything wrong." I smiled warmly at him. The way he looked at me always made me feel so loved. I felt like I was the center of his universe. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but his eyes made me feel that way. "Is it strange to picture you undressed?"

I smirked. "Nah," I replied, wiggling my eyebrow. "I've had your naked body on my mind since I saw it." It was true. The entire time we'd been here, I just kept staring at his gorgeous body. I hated the clothes on him. Not because they were bad or anything like that. I just wanted them off of him and they didn't seem to comply with my wishes. He tried to cover himself up in an attempt to look modest, but I smacked his leg. "Don't act innocent!" I teased.

He laughed and leaned closer to kiss me. "I'm no longer innocent thanks to you," he said with a wink. He took my hand from his leg and held it in his. I could instantly feel my teasing mood shifting to a very warm feeling. I leaned closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder. He lifted his other arm and stroked his fingers through my hair. "Anakin, I'm happy that we met," he whispered. "My life would be so dull without you."

I chuckled. "I think it was fate that brought us together." It took Tru from me, but… Maybe I was supposed to be with Obi-Wan. There were so many moments throughout our relationship thus far when I believed we were meant to be. He felt like my other half. He completed me. He kissed my hair and I knew from that that he agreed with me.

We stayed like this for roughly twenty minutes. I wanted him to have time to cool off so he wouldn't kill Quin. A woman with blue hair stormed past the room and Obi-Wan jerked a bit. "Aayla!" he called out. I raised an eyebrow as I lifted my head from his shoulder. "One moment," he said apologetically before running after her. I stood and walked after him. As I rounded the corner, I saw that the woman looked _angry._

Angry by my standards was pretty close to pissed off. She actually look more pissed than she did angry. "I don't know why you insist on coddling him!" she screamed at Obi-Wan. I cringed at the same time that he did and I moved closer. I knew I had a protective side of me and it just happened to leave its dormant state when I felt like he was threatened. I stepped closer to him and stood behind him, crossing my arms over my chest. I loomed over both of them from his back and she stared up at me, raising an eyebrow. Her highlights were similar to the ones Ahsoka had – _blue._ "Wow, maybe I shouldn't be seeing Quinny anymore," she said breathlessly.

Obi-Wan turned to look up at me with an amused smile. "I forgot that I haven't introduced you both yet. Anakin, this is Aayla." I nodded and she smiled. "Aayla, this is Anakin."

"It's a–"

"He's my boyfriend." She stopped dead when Obi-Wan added that. I smirked and leaned closer to kiss his temple. "We've been together for six months." She looked flabbergasted and I couldn't help but chuckle. She had that '_no way in hell_' look.

"How do _you _get such a _hot _guy like _him?_" she asked, her jaw hanging as she looked me up at down. I raised an eyebrow and slid my arm around Obi-Wan's waist. It wasn't really the first time a girl hit on me, but that didn't make it any less disturbing as it always was. "Sweetie, you can't really be gay, can you?"

"I'm as gay as can be," I said cheekily. I was happy being gay. If someone had a problem with it, it wasn't my problem. They could suck it and I would say as much to them as well. "I love ramming and being rammed _by _men." She shuddered and Obi-Wan seemed to tense a bit at that. I gave him a curious look and he shook his head. "What?" I said quietly.

"We'll talk about it later." _Shit._ I frowned and he nuzzled his face against my chest, embracing me. "It's not bad. I promise."

The three of us walked – or in Aayla's case, sulked – as we made our way towards Quin's room. Obi-Wan took a chair in the corner, allowing Aayla the opportunity to sit at Quin's bedside and I stood beside Obi-Wan. He looked up at me and gripped my hand gently. I looked down at him and smiled a little. He used his other hand to pat his lap and I raised an eyebrow. He gave me a small pout and I rolled my eyes. I sat on his lap and we shifted a bit until we were both comfortable.

"Obi, have you heard anything from the station tonight?" Quin asked, pulling Obi-Wan's attention away from me. I wasn't starving for his attention. I just…_wanted _it on me a lot.

"No. I put my phone on silent before we left the house. Why?"

His hand was lightly stroking my thigh and I was playing with his shirt. "Our case," he said. It was almost like he didn't know I was in on it. Obi-Wan doesn't like keeping _anything _from me. He could get groped at a grocery store by some woman and he'd come home and tell me he felt guilty about it, which I didn't understand. It hadn't been his fault unless you blame him for being too sexy for his own good.

"What about it? Do we have more information?"

Quin nodded. "Another victim. He was nearby actually."

"How close?" Obi-Wan seemed to panic and his grip on my thigh tightened.

"About four blocks away from the station." That was about ten or so blocks away from _our _house. Obi-Wan was starting to think that the serial killer guy knew Obi was on the case. He worried that his case would get me into some trouble and I'd rolled my eyes. Calming him down from that explosion of panic and anger had been a _blast._ "I'm pretty much ready to get out of here."

Obi-Wan laughed darkly. "Oh, _no._ You are staying here, Quinlan."

"Obi!" he whined.

"Don't make me act like a father to you."

"Don't act like my father then."

The air suddenly got _really _tense and I just kept my eyes on Obi-Wan's hardened glare. I glanced quickly at Quin and saw the amused look on his face. He knew he was pissing Obi-Wan off. Aayla and Luminara stood up simultaneously, seeming to be on the same wavelength. "Anakin, can Quinlan and I have a moment alone?" Obi-Wan whispered gently, rubbing my chest. I nodded and started to get up from his lap. He pulled me down for a quick kiss before he let go of me.

I left the room and shut the door quietly, hoping that neither of them would kill the other. The two ladies were heading off down the hall and I stood where I was awkwardly until Aayla turned around and motioned for me to follow them. I quickly caught up to them. "So, _Anakin,_" she began. Great. Here we go. "How old are you? You look pretty young to be dating Obi-Wan."

"Twenty-two," I whispered. She stopped where she was and I sputtered, "I'll be twenty-three next month."

"Do you know how old Obi-Wan is?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I know how old my boyfriend is," I answered, grinding the statement out as roughly as I could.

"I take it you have daddy issues?" she teased. I knew she was messing with me, but that didn't make it _right._ This bitch didn't know anything about me. What right did she have to judge me based on my interest in Obi-Wan?

"Fuck you," I said quietly. I didn't think she heard me until she gripped my shoulder. "Don't presume to know my life. I love Obi-Wan as much as he loves me. You can't be too _old _yourself either and Quin is the same age as Obi."

Twenty-five. That was my guess. "I'm twenty-six, _kid._" _Bitch._ "I know what I want and I know it's Quinlan."

"Right," I said sarcastically. I didn't want to rip on Quinlan. I knew how he was when he was around other women and she probably knew, too. "Seems like your daddy issues are the same as mine if you're dating a guy twelve years older than you."

That was when the whole verbal fight began. I let her lash out at me. It didn't really bother me. I actually tuned her out as much as I possibly could, which was really easy. "Okay, okay!" Luminara cried, exasperated. "Aayla, go sit down. Anakin–"

I was already walking towards the lounge area to take a seat. Aayla was still throwing a hissy fit while I read some magazines. I hadn't even said anything after the initial statement and I found it amusing that I'd pissed her off by using her '_slander_' towards me against her.

I'm not sure when I dozed off, but I did. Strong, warm hands rested on my chest and slid up to rub my neck. A soft kiss was planted on my lips and I barely opened my eyes. "Good evening, sleeping beauty," his lovely voice cooed. He was smiling at me and there was a very faint handprint on his face. I sat up and lifted my hand to touch it, but he gripped my fingers gently. "I'm fine, my love. Let's get home. Your mother called while you were napping. I'll drive so you can talk." He looked at my phone? "It was ringing when I came out here," he said quietly, sounding ashamed. "I didn't read any messages or anything else." I nodded and stood up and he laughed quietly, drawing my attention to him once again. "I love the fact that you have a picture of us on your phone, Ani."

"Of course," I said with a smile. I stroked the _good _side of his face. "What else would I have on there?" He shrugged and I smirked. He already knew I was up to something just by the look on his face. I waited to see if he'd catch on to my thought process.

"I'll give you as many as you want if I can have some for myself." _Yes!_ I laughed and hugged him. "I'd recommend putting a lock on your phone if you plan on having nude pictures of me on it, however."

"As long as you do the same, it's a deal." He took my hand and led me through the hospital until we miraculously reached the outside. It was a _huge _hospital. We got into his shit-car and he took the keys from me as I held them out for him, simultaneously taking my phone out. He started up the car and backed up as I called my mom. It rang three times and I knew it would go to the answering machine soon. She normally picked up as soon as the phone rang because she knew it would be me.

"_Hello?_" she whispered. She sounded afraid and I sat up straighter in my seat.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Obi-Wan glanced at me for a moment, his worry as evident on his face as my own was. I could hear her breathing shakily and sniffling, which was never a good sign. "Mom, answer me," I said a bit roughly.

"_Ani, I can't make it over for dinner tonight._"

"Why not?"

"_Baby boy, I need some sleep. I'll see you soon. I–_"

"Don't you fucking hang up!" I hissed. Obi-Wan jumped and his right hand slid over my thigh, trying to calm me down. "Tell me what the hell happened, mom." I heard the click echo in my mind and my heart snapped. She hung up on me. I shoved my phone into my pocket and he took a right turn instead of a left without me having to say a word. I gripped the armrest roughly and his hand continued its light strokes over my thigh.

He turned once more to the right and we pulled up outside of mom's house. I practically launched myself from the vehicle before it even stopped and I ran up the stairs and started banging on the door. Obi-Wan was quick to follow me and he stood behind me with his right hand on my lower back. "Ani, please," she begged on the other side of the door, "go home."

"Let me in right now!" I growled. This was the part of me that went the most animalistic I could ever go. My mom had been the center of my world for so long. Anything or anyone that hurt her instantly signed their death sentence. "Mom!" She started sobbing as she opened the door. I stood there, my jaw hanging open as I stared at her. Her face was bloody and there were fresh welts and bruises forming on her pale skin. I stepped over the threshold when she backed up and I brushed her hair out of her face. She looked like an animal attacked her. "Tell me what happened," I said softly, rushing my words.

"Your father–" She began sobbing again and I could just _feel _my anger boiling deep inside of me. "Baby, he threatened me."

She threw her arms around me and sobbed into my chest and I closed my eyes, stroking her hair like she'd done for me when I needed to cry against her when I was little. "Mommy, I'm here. Tell me why he threatened you."

Eventually, she calmed down. She hadn't told me anything yet, but I didn't plan on leaving as long as I knew she was hurting. Obi-Wan sat on the coffee table in front of the couch I sat on with mom. He was just as concerned as I was. I was gently dabbing at her face with a wet rag to clean the blood and everything else. "He wants to take you away, baby. I fought him on it." She leaned against my hand and smiled weakly at me. "You're an adult. You earned the right to be called that and I wish he saw that you're not a sixteen year old boy anymore. You're almost twenty-three, baby."

I was about to speak, but Obi-Wan quieted me by resting his hand on my shoulder. I stared at him curiously and he moved to take my mom's hands in both of his. "Shmi," he whispered soothingly, smiling sadly, "why don't you come live with us? You practically live with us and I know it'll make you both happy to see one another more often than not."

My heart stopped and it felt like time froze and rewinded repeatedly. She looked cautious and didn't answer right away. "You…You'd really let me live with you?" We both smiled widely at her and her face flushed. "Boys, that would mean so much to me, but–"

"Then it's settled," Obi-Wan chimed in. "Pack up your necessities. Anakin and I will provide you with whatever you need, Shmi."

_Just call her mom._ He was so hesitant about calling her 'mom' because he hadn't really had parents growing up. "Obi," she whispered, "I appreciate you so much. You're sweet to my baby and you're sweet to me, too." He smiled wider when she leaned closer to him to hug him. After that embrace, she ran upstairs to pack her things. That left Obi-Wan and me alone.

"Anakin, I'm s–" I leapt from my position on the couch and tackled him. We both toppled over the coffee table and landed on the floor with me in the dominant position. I pressed sweet, passionate kisses on his lips and he knew that he had no reason to apologize. It meant the world to me to know that he was just as willing as I was to help my mom. It meant a lot to know that the three of us had become something like a small family. "I love you, Anakin. I told you I'd do anything for you." I sighed contentedly against his chest and he stroked my hair. "I'll do anything to see you and your mother happy, my lovely Anakin." I lifted my head only to tell him that I loved him as well and that I would never be able to repay him for this, to which he _insinuated _one possible way for me to make up for it.

As he'd do anything for me, I would do anything for him without a question.


	11. Chapter 11

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

It was a slow process getting Shmi into our home. Anakin and I spent two days finding a home for everything we'd placed in the storage room, which was now his mother's room. We also had to buy a bed and get it into the room. _That _had been hilarious, or so Anakin told me. I'd accidentally sandwiched him between the bed and doorframe and he'd been laughing too hard to tell me that he really couldn't move.

We were a week away from Christmas and we had about six inches of snow outside our house. Anakin's been getting up before me to shovel our cars out even though I told him I was happy to do it with him, but he insisted on getting up at five thirty in the morning to clear us out. I had to go into the station early this morning because Mace had called me in. It was four in the morning and it had been so _warm _beside Anakin. I didn't want to leave our cozy bed or him, but I had to. I got up, got dressed, and kissed his temple. I pulled the blanket up to his shoulder and made sure he'd stay warm in my absence.

I even grabbed his phone and entered his code to change his alarm time. Instead of waking up at five thirty, he'd wake up at nine thirty. He didn't have work until noon, so that gave him time to shower, eat, and do whatever else he wanted to do. I set his phone down and plugged it into the charger since it was at sixty percent. "Hey," he said groggily.

The dim light on his face made him look absolutely gorgeous. "Hey," I said back, smiling as I sat on the bed. "Go back to sleep, love. I'll be home before you leave for work."

"Where you going?" He took my hand in his and seemed to wake up a little more. He didn't like it when I left the bed, even if it was for a bathroom break. He was such a cuddler and I loved it.

"Mace needs me at the station." I leaned forward and kissed him gently. He gave me his trademark pout. "I'll be home to drive you to work if you'd like." He nodded slowly and I could see his eyes beginning to droop. "Go back to sleep, Ani. I love you. Text me when you get up."

"Love you," he whispered, closing his eyes. I smiled and stroked his cheek gently for a few moments. Once I was sure he was asleep, I went to grab my jacket and go outside to grab his huge snow shovel so I could dig the Corsica out.

After twenty minutes, I'd accomplished that and I wondered how the hell Anakin did this for us. My arms were _exhausted._ I shook my head as I took the shovel back to the porch and rested it against the railing where he always left it. I checked to make sure I'd double locked the door before getting into my Corsica to drive down to the station.

When I entered, all eyes were on me. Everyone seemed to be on high alert and that worried me. Even Quinlan looked worried. "What's happened?" I demanded, heading towards him and Mace.

"Obi, you're not going to like this." He held a note out towards me and I quickly snatched it out of his hand to read it. It was addressed _to Kenobi._ I flipped it open and read the newspaper cutout letters that were my message.

_I've got my sights set on you, Kenobi. Watch your back._

"Where the hell did this come from?" I growled. I'd been threatened by criminals before, but none of them ever directly said it was me who they were threatening unless it was a face to face confrontation. This note was obviously from our killer and it worried me that he called me out so directly. This had been what I was afraid of. I always had something to fear on the job.

"It was on your desk, buddy. The guy must've come into the office while we weren't here. Luckily, we had someone on security watching and they called us in."

I went into my office and saw that my things had been tampered with. It looked like a futile attempt had been made to access my computer and the lock to my files had been broken. I stood behind the desk to rearrange the mess of papers and my eyes caught a shine off to my right. I glanced over and my eyes widened. A picture of Anakin and me was on the floor. And blood was covering his half of the picture. My heart leapt up into my throat.

His phone was on. It was turned up. He _would_ wake up. I immediately pulled my phone out and speed-dialed him. "Pick up, pick up," I hissed. It kept ringing and I worried as it neared the fifth ring. "Damn it, Anakin!"

Just as I swore at him, he'd picked up. Go figure. "_What?_" he said sleepily.

"Anakin," I said, relieved, sighing. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

"_Yeah. What's wrong?_"

"Don't go back to sleep, please." I didn't realize how panicked I sounded until he started humming quietly to calm me down. He'd learned that after sleeping beside me for a while. He hummed out of habit, but it was so soothing. "Anakin, I mean it. I'll come home soon. Just stay–"

"_Obi-Wan._" I paused and listened intently to him. I knew he was about to say something rather rational, but I was in a much panicked state. I love him and I don't want anything to happen to him. "_I'm going back to sleep, but I promise I will only sleep for an hour or an hour and a half. As soon as I get up, I'll shoot you a text to let you know I'm okay._"

"I want you to call me when you get up," I compromised. Quinlan came closer to me and I glanced at him. He gave me a sympathetic smile and rested his hand on my shoulder. "I love you, Anakin, so very much."

He laughed a little and it sounded like half of a yawn as well. "_I love you just as much, Obi. Now don't wake me up again._" He was teasing and I knew that, but I was still frightened.

I knew the call was about to end and I quickly interjected before he could end it. "Anakin?"

"_Yeah?_"

I bit my lip and glanced at Quin. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Can we…go out tonight? Just you and me?"

He breathed into the phone and it sounded like a small laugh. I could tell from that alone that he was smiling. "_I'd like that._"

"Okay. I'll pick you up for work in a few hours. Love you, Skyguy." He chuckled. "Stay safe."

"_Love you, my sweet, overprotective Obi. _You _stay safe. I'll be right here in bed when you come home._"

We hung up after saying a quick goodbye to one another and I sighed. "Do you want me to post some men outside the house, bud?" Quin rubbed my shoulder and I nodded. "I won't let anybody hurt the kid. He's just as innocent as the rest of them have been."

He called in a few men and posted them around the neighborhood and I sat at my desk, trying to figure out who our mystery killer was. He knew who I was somehow. It was probably those damned reporters' faults. I hate reporters because they put people like us on the spotlight when all we really need is to lay low so our enemies aren't aware of weaknesses and such. The man now knew Anakin was one of my weaknesses and I prayed to whatever deity was listening that he would be safe while I was here. I couldn't bear the thought of someone hurting, much less _killing, _him.

"Kenobi," Mace's deep voice boomed. I looked up at him and he was frowning. "We need you to work with a clear mind. Your boy-toy will be fine."

"He's _not _a _toy_," I hissed. I got the feeling he may have been teasing me with that, but I was so tired of hearing everyone put Anakin down. Quin called him a kid, Anakin's father treated him like a kid, and now Mace is calling him my boy-toy. "I'll get the job done. Just give me the security camera that's watching the house."

"Your attention will be diverted from the job because you'll be too focused on the boy. If you don't focus, he _will _get hurt." I stood up, prepared to explode. The only thing was... He was right. If we went home today and still had no idea who our mystery killer was, Anakin's life was still in possible danger.

"Fine," I said with a curt nod. Quin was watching me, his face pained. He knew that I loved Anakin. He'd teased us enough about the way we look at one another. Anakin accidentally slipped up in a conversation we were having with Quin and revealed a few details about our sex life and Quin _ran _with that. He'd slapped me on the back, screaming '_woohoo, Kenobi!_' I was very nervous about letting Anakin take me, so he'd agreed to bottom it until I was ready, which made me feel guilty. I swallowed, picturing his sweaty face in my mind. That lazy smile... Those dazzling eyes. _My Anakin._

"Damn, Wan! What the hell?" I blinked and raised an eyebrow at him. It was just the two of us in the room and I realized he wasn't exactly looking at my face. He was staring a little further down my body. I looked down and my face immediately flushed. I spun around and grabbed my jacket. "Thinking about the kid?" he teased.

"Not in the mood, Quin," I muttered, pulling the jacket on. "I'm driving." I stormed past him and he chuckled. I grabbed the keys from the front desk and headed out to our assigned car.

"Shouldn't we go incognito?" I paused and looked over my shoulder, raising an eyebrow. Had I really heard him correctly? "Don't look at me like that. I had the same training as you."

I shrugged and tossed him the keys. "You drive then. If he's got me pegged, he'll know my car." We got into his truck and I immediately regretted it. The damn thing smelled like alcohol and cigars. "Ugh," I groaned.

"Sorry, bud."

We drove around for several hours, looking for anything that resembled a new victim or a possible lead. And we found nothing. Anakin texted me twenty minutes ago to say he was up and was going to jump into the shower and I asked him to call when he was done. He was usually quick in the shower when I wasn't in there with him, so my anxiety rose as I waited and waited for him to call me.

Quin and I were heading back to the station so I could get my car, head home, and drive Anakin to work. He was perfectly fine driving in the snow, but he wanted me to drop him off every time I had the opportunity to. I'd have him take me to work if I didn't have to either get up before him or leave later in the afternoon. The phone finally rang and I lifted it. His picture popped up and I smiled, sighing in relief as I answered. "Hey, Ani."

"_Hey, lover,_" he said back. "_Sorry I took so long. Mom needed help with some laundry and I couldn't find my work outfit._"

I chuckled quietly. "It's all right. I'm just glad to hear from you, my sweet."

"_Are you coming home soon?_"

"Yes." Quin pulled into the parking lot off to the side of the station and I got out of the car, thanking Quin and telling him I'd be back after I dropped Anakin off. Anakin, on the other side of the phone, was humming quietly as he got himself ready for work. "What are you doing right this moment?" I asked quietly as I got into my freezer of a car. I turned the heat on and started it up, grabbing the little device that would allow me to speak to Anakin as I drove without actually holding my cell phone.

"_I could be rubbing my chest just the way you do when we make love._" My mouth started watering involuntarily. I loved touching him that way and he loved it as well. I would play with his nipples and lick and suck my way up his sternum, and then I would slide my palms over his pectorals, and– "_I can practically hear you salivating,_" he said with a laugh.

I turned down a few streets, smiling as I drove. "I miss you."

"_I miss you, too._" After another few minutes of whispering words of endearment to one another over our technology, he opened the door as soon as I'd stepped up to it and pulled me inside before any of the extremely cold air could get in. He pulled me into a tight hug and nuzzled his face into my neck. "I'm so glad you're home, even if it's only for a little bit."

I kissed his hair and rubbed his lower back. "Can I speak with you, my love?" He pulled back and gave me a cautious look. I could see the pain in his eyes and I wondered why he thought I was about to hurt him. Hadn't I just called him my love? I lifted my hands to caress his cheeks and gave him a warm smile, though the nature of the conversation to come was _not _warm in the slightest.

He led me to the couch and we sat down together. He leaned against the right arm and I leaned against the left. He pulled his legs up and tried to return my smile even though he was nervous. "What is it, Obi?" I moved forward and rubbed his knee. "Is it about the panicked phone call earlier?"

"Anakin, you know I'm on a case that involves a serial killer of some sort." He nodded, silently asking me to continue even though it was blatantly obvious that he was afraid of where this was going. "My love, the killer knows who I am. He left a note for me." Anakin straightened up and his hands were holding mine fearfully. "I worried for you because I have a picture of you and me in my office and…blood was on it. On _you._"

"What are we going to do?"

"_I _am going to keep you protected at all times no matter what, Ani. I'm _not _letting some damned psycho take you from me like–" _Qui-Gon. Tru. _We both stared at one another. He knew what I was thinking and I knew what he was thinking. Crazed bastards took away our former lovers. I sighed and I felt his concerned eyes piercing holes in me. "I can't let him hurt you."

Before I knew it, I was lying on my back with him on my chest. My arms were wrapped around him protectively and he was nuzzling his face into the hollow of my neck. "We'll be okay. I can protect myself."

"Not against a gun," I muttered. "If you get shot, you're dead, Anakin. I _can't _let him have the chance to kill you."

I stroked his back slowly as he shuddered. After a few moments of silence, he lifted his head, a look of enthusiasm on his face. "Teach me how to use a gun. I've wanted to get one for a while. This is the perfect opportunity."

I laughed and his eyebrow rose, the enthusiastic grin falling into a frown. "You're serious?" He remained silent and I slid my hands to the middle of his back. "Lover, I don't know if you should have a gun. You'll be on record for having one and the killer may be able to trace you and he'll know you're permitted to own a gun."

"Okay," he said quietly. He slid out of my arms and sat up, facing the front of the couch. His feet were planted on the floor and he leaned forward, arms on his knees.

I frowned and sat up as well, lifting my hand to stroke his hair. "Ani, I fear for you more than you realize. I want you to be safe. I don't want you to put yourself in danger. Owning a gun is going to put you in danger."

I watched him tense up and I immediately pulled my hand away from him. "So what you're saying is that I'm incompetent? I can't handle a gun? Is this part of the male-female issue we've been having in our relationship? Is that it? You want to be the masculine half of us?"

I gaped at him as his fiery eyes stared into mine. "I didn't realize we were having that kind of issue, Anakin. You know I want to keep you on an equal level."

"So now you're _better _than me?" Where the hell was this coming from? I leaned forward to pull him into my arms and he stood from the couch. I gave him a pleading look and he shook his head angrily. "I have to go to work. I'll drive myself."

As he prepared to storm away from me, I grabbed his wrist and yanked him back, then I grabbed his other bicep and held him like that so he faced me. "I am _not _saying I'm better than you," I whispered sincerely. "I love you. I have _never _felt superior to you in any fashion. I'm not trying to be anything but myself with you."

He rolled his eyes. "Really," he said sarcastically. "Seems like we can't be equal in bed and you're not treating me like an equal right now."

I could almost feel his anger rising exponentially and I wanted to calm him down. Fighting with him was _not _one of the things I enjoyed most. Listening to him argue on the phone with someone was hard. Having that anger directed at me was the worst feeling ever. "Then fuck me, Anakin!" I snarled. "If it means so much to you to be dominant, then let's fuck!"

His eyes widened momentarily before narrowing into a hard glare. "I'm going to be late," he hissed, shrugging away from my grip. I reluctantly let him go and he rushed about to slip his jacket on, grab his lunch, and search for his keys. I stood by the door, my heart sinking. I hadn't meant to say that. I don't even know how this got started. He stormed back to where I was and I moved to stand in front of him, staring up at his face. "Obi-Wan, I'm not in the mood. I have to–" I reached up and pulled his face closer to mine, pressing my lips against his hot ones. He dropped his lunch and keys to rest his hands on my hips. Once we pulled away for breath, I gave him an apologetic look. He sighed and leaned closer again to press his lips to my forehead. "I'm menstruating," he said, frowning. "I'm sorry. I don't mean anything I said."

I chuckled at his dry joke. "I love you, Ani."

"I love you, too, Obi." He tentatively moved to hug me and I was quick to return the embrace. "Do you still want to drive me to work or did I piss you off too much?" He sounded so small as he breathed into my neck. I slid my arm around him tighter.

"I want to take you to work. I'm not angry at you." He pressed his lips against mine and I zipped him up. He wasn't a huge fan of the cold. He quickly yelled a 'see you later' to his mom, picked up his lunch, and set his keys back down on the table, and then we left the house. He locked up while I went to unlock the Corsica. He was quiet after we began driving to the shop. I didn't want to pester him, but I was worried. He didn't need to go through the day, angry at himself for a small argument. "Are we still on for tonight?" I whispered as I pulled up in the lot.

"Of course," he replied just as quietly. I stopped the car and gave him a small smile. "I love you, Obi-Wan. I love you very much. I _promise _we'll have a conversation later that won't include an argument."

I laughed and leaned closer as he did the same. We kissed once more and he started getting out. "I love you, Anakin. I hope you have a great day. I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Yes, sir," he said with a small smirk. "Love you, Obi. See you at seven."

"See you at seven," I repeated. He shut the door and I watched him lug his stuff into the garage. Once I was sure he was safely inside, I put the car in reverse and made my way out of the lot to head back down to the station. I _would _find this bastard before he could find my Anakin.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: A sex scene is included towards the end of the chapter. **

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Obi-Wan and I have been fighting a little more since last week. It's been really depressing and mainly _my _fault. We've been going places individually now and, as much as it _is _my fault, I hate it. I like spending time with him. He's just been so frustrating lately. I understood that things at work were stressing him out, but he's been acting very…_not _himself. I was hoping we could reconcile tonight though. It's Christmas Eve. I wanted to show him that I love him and that I'm sorry simultaneously. I, fortunately, didn't have to work tonight.

I flew down onto the couch and pulled my laptop up from the table, turning it on. I wanted to cook dinner for us tonight and have a nice evening so we could just…cuddle for the duration of the night afterwards. I had a lot of things I wanted to do today before Obi-Wan got home and I hoped I could accomplish everything. The nice thing about my dinner idea was that I thought of it about four days ago, so I'd already begun getting it ready. I just needed to pull up the page with all of the instructions again. Mom came out of her room and I glanced up to see her smiling at me. "You look intensely focused."

"I am." I typed my password once the slow piece of technology loaded up and now I had to wait for the settings. "I'm trying to have the perfect dinner for Obi-Wan tonight. I have three hours to get it all set."

"Is it that Italian dish you were telling me about the other day?" I nodded and stared at my screen until the settings were finally finished loading in. "Sweetie, I know things have been tense between you two, but I'm sure he'll forgive you for all the fighting you've both done." I looked up at her again and raised an eyebrow. "You two weren't very quiet last night." I flushed a deep shade of pink. Obi-Wan and I had angry sex last night after an argument. Granted, things seemed better this morning. I made waffles for him just the way he liked them since I hadn't been able to go to sleep once he fell asleep against me.

"We'll be okay," I whispered, trying to convince myself of that. For all I knew, Obi-Wan could be seeing another man around his own age. He still told me he loved me, but… We haven't really been expressing it in all the same ways we did prior to our initial fight last week. Mom came and sat beside me and I glanced at her for a moment. She took the laptop and set it down on the table. "Mom…"

"Honey, call him. You've barely spoken to him while he's at work." She rubbed my leg and gave me a small smile. "You two haven't really spoken at all lately. The only time I hear you two sounding at least somewhat interested in talking to one another is when you're–"

"I'll call him." I got up quickly from the couch and I heard her laugh quietly. I went into the bedroom and searched for my phone. I didn't find it where I thought I'd left it, so I went over to Obi's side of the bed and rummaged through our disaster of things until I found a paper I hadn't seen before. I glanced at it and upon reading it, my eyes started watering. I covered my mouth as sobs threatened to rip out of me.

All I did for the next three hours was call the hospital and ask for them to refill my meds and I went to pick them up a little bit later. I finished dinner half an hour before Obi-Wan came home and I sat on the couch, waiting for him. I'd managed to get myself under control between driving to the hospital and back home, so mom didn't even know what was going on.

Hell, I didn't even know what was going on, but I could only blame myself. The words on that damn paper kept repeating themselves and I wished I'd never gone looking for my phone. I hadn't even been able to call him. I was too upset to speak to him at that particular moment and I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk to him even when he came home.

"Baby, are you okay?" mom asked as she stood behind the couch. She rubbed my shoulders and my eyes started watering again. I could've sworn I'd been under control. I told myself I wasn't going to cry anymore tonight. I would just accept the way things were and that was it. "Have you been taking your antidepressants, honey?"

"Yeah," I said hoarsely. I rubbed my eyes roughly and forced a smile as I looked up at her. "I'm just tired is all. Don't worry, mom." She tried to press me for more information because she knew something was bothering me, but I played it off as nerves. She knew what I got Obi for Christmas and it would only be a matter of hours before I was able to give it to him. I stood abruptly and grabbed my heavy sweater. "I'm going to go out for a smoke. I'll be back in a few, mom. Tell Obi dinner's ready. He doesn't have to wait up on me."

I snatched my pack up from the counter in the kitchen and grabbed the lighter from my nightstand and headed out back. I stood on the deck near the stairs and lit my cigarette. I closed my eyes and let the smoke fill me up. Right now, I felt so lost, so empty. The cigarette seemed to have something to complete me and the flicker of light at the end made me feel a little better. Within fifteen minutes, I'd already blown through three cigarettes. I was now sitting on the stairs, sucking the smoke in and blowing it out continuously.

I heard the door open behind me and the footsteps come closer. I lowered my gaze to the snow at the bottom of the stairs and he took a seat beside me. "Hey, lover," he whispered. "Are you all right?" I nodded silently, not wanting to look at him. I was lucky to not have burst into tears the moment he sat next to me. "Anakin, you can talk to me. You know that, right?"

"I'm not sure about what I know anymore," I said quietly. I inhaled more of the smoke and I saw him flinch beside me. I glanced at him for a moment and he slid his arm around me, leaning against me.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you tonight. I wasn't at the station half the night and my phone–"

"When were you going to tell me you were moving out?" I whispered, staring at him sadly. His eyes shifted away from me and I frowned deeply. "I'm sorry that you aren't happy."

His head snapped back up when I said that. "I _am _happy with you, Anakin. I know you aren't happy and I don't want you to be miserable because of me." I threw the cigarette into the snow and threw myself at him. His arms wrapped around my shoulders and I sobbed, my face getting colder with the tears sliding down my face. "Sweetheart, I want you to be happy. Fighting with you every night doesn't make either of us happy…"

"Then let's stop fighting," I said desperately, holding onto him tighter. "I _love _you."

"I love you. You _know _I do."

"Why can't you stay then?"

I sounded like such a child, but I didn't want to let him go. I know we fought a lot during the week, but I never wanted to make him leave. I never wanted him to think I didn't care about him. I never wanted him to think I didn't love him. "It isn't permanent. It will only last until the case is solved. I'm trying to keep you out of harm's way, Ani. I want you to be safe."

I wasn't buying that. If he actually loved me, he wouldn't leave me. He wanted to protect me, right? How could he do that from afar? He was moving across the city. It would take him twenty minutes to come here and go back. I pushed myself off of him and lit one more cigarette, sliding away from him. I shivered as the snow soaked my pants. "I made dinner," I said quietly before slipping the end of the cigarette into my mouth.

"I wish you'd stop smoking," he said sadly. "It's going to kill you one of these days." He rubbed my arm and stared at my face. I sighed and finished the cigarette a few minutes later before tossing it down into the snow. I stood up and he stood with me. We both went back into the house to find mom smiling at us. The table was set with candles in the middle.

"Mom, you–"

"I'm going to close my door for the night and use the headphones you gave me, Ani. I want you both to have a nice, quiet night together." The warmth of her smile touched her eyes and it made me want to break down again. Tonight wouldn't matter. Obi-Wan was leaving soon. I had the sinking feeling that he was cheating on me and, if he really was, I wish he'd just admit it to me already. It wouldn't be the first time I was cheated on. Obi-Wan gave her a small smile and thanked her before she left us alone.

He stood beside me and watched me silently, trying to figure out what I'd do or say next. "I'm not leaving you tonight, Ani," he whispered. "I love you too much to leave you."

"Right," I muttered bitterly, taking my jacket off. I hung it up and went to sit at the far end of the dining room table and he came in shortly after I did. He grabbed the arms of my chair and spun me to face him, jostling me around a bit. I stared at him wide-eyed and he leaned closer to press his lips against mine.

He sank into my lap, straddling me, and draped his arms over my shoulders. I hated when he did this during the tensest moments because he totally got me to loosen up… When we parted, he stared into my eyes and I couldn't remove mine from his own. "What if I told you that the address was only meant to be used for public purposes?"

"What does that mean?"

He smiled and played with my short curls. "That bastard will _think _I moved out."

I raised an eyebrow. "So…you're staying?" I tried not to sound too hopeful, but I couldn't help it if I did.

"I'm staying." He kissed my cheek. "As long as you want me to." Every part of me that had been depressed for the last few hours seemed to cleanse themselves. I grabbed him and kissed him fiercely, happiness and passion embedded into each movement of my lips. Before I realized he'd moved off of my lap, I was lifted up. Sometimes it sucked to be kind of a lightweight. He was able to lift me up and wrap my legs around his waist. He carried me into our bedroom, huskily whispering, "I say we have dinner in here tonight."

To my surprise, he twisted us at the last moment and ended up lying beneath me. I raised an eyebrow and moved to flip us, but he gripped my shoulders and held me above him. "You want me to ride you like this tonight?" I breathed. I didn't mind it. We hadn't tried it together yet though.

"No."

"Then what–"

"Make love to me," he whispered. I stared at him in disbelief. I wasn't willing to hurt him or force him into this if he wasn't ready and he knew that. "I want you inside of me," he said, enunciating each word. I sucked in a deep breath and nodded, leaning closer to press kisses into the hollow of his neck as I undid the buttons of his police outfit. We both simultaneously stripped one another, but it was paced very slowly and intimately. As of late, all we've really had was angry sex. I admit, I kind of liked it, but I wanted my loving Obi-Wan back.

I pressed kisses along his sternum all the way up to his jaw and back down again until I reached his naval. He would caress my hair or my shoulder and smile at me lovingly as I did this and it made me feel good. "I'm so sorry for the way things have been." I looked up at him apologetically and scooted closer to his face, pressing my lips against his slightly shaven beard.

His hand held my neck and he waited until I looked at him again before he spoke. "My Anakin, there is nothing for you to be sorry about. I've caused the strain in our relationship and _I_ am sorry."

I frowned. "It's not strained because you care about me," I said firmly. "It's strained because I'm arrogant and I accuse you of things that are far from the truth." He shook his head, trying to stammer out a protest, but I spoke over him. "I've said things that were hurtful over the past week and I desperately wish I could take them back. I don't think you're a dominant bastard nor do I think you're an insensitive prick." He flinched and my stomach churned. I hated myself for saying those things the moment I did and I hated saying them again even if I admitted that I didn't mean it. "You are caring. You are sensitive. You are the sweetest, most loving boyfriend I have ever had and I'm _lucky _to be able to call you my boyfriend – my Obi-Wan."

His warm smile returned and I could see the love burning in his eyes as he stared up at me. "Anakin, I have never doubted your love for me. I felt…distraught…because I felt that I didn't deserve your love."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," I hissed, narrowing my eyes, "how could you _possibly _think you don't deserve my love?"

He caressed my cheek. "I have been far too controlling of you since receiving that note at the station and I'm so sorry. I haven't meant to control you in or out of bed and it seems that I've been doing that a lot lately."

I rolled my eyes and smirked. "How about we make a compromise?"

"I'm listening." _Fuck!_ He purposely rolled his hips so that our exposed erections touched. I was embarrassed by how quickly I was prepared to come undone tonight.

I panted and he looked pleased. "If you–like when I make love, then–we'll switch it up. If not, you make love to me." He gripped my hips, gently digging his nails into the skin there.

"I'll love it when you make love to me," he said sincerely. I was going to add something, but he stopped me. "You have told me that it will hurt the first time more than ever. I'm learning from you, Anakin, and I am willing to make love with you because _I _love _you._ The pain is _par for the course_ if I remember correctly."

His eyes glistened and I laughed quietly. "I love you, Obi," I murmured into his neck, grazing his skin with my teeth.

"I love you, Anakin."

He sucked on my fingers voluntarily, staring up at me with seductive eyes. I shivered with pleasure, wanting so desperately to just plunge into him without preparation, but I knew firsthand that it would hurt. Hurting him purposely wasn't an option. I slid down his body and engulfed his cock with my mouth, slowly bobbing my head up and down the shaft just the way he liked it. The tip hit the back of my throat several times and he moaned loudly each time it did. After several moments, he gripped my hair and yanked my head up. I gasped for breath, staring at his face.

He flew at me, knocking me onto my back. I gasped as he took my cock into his hot, wet mouth. He licked behind the head and over the slit and I couldn't help writhing around. He moved his mouth over the shaft as far as he was willing to go and I threw my head back, gripping the sheets at my sides. He brought me to the brink of release before he pulled back. I wanted to say something to him, but I was breathless and words weren't necessary. The way he looked and the way I _hoped _I looked expressed our affection towards one another.

I sat up and sucked on two of my fingers with him watching. My cock twitched at the lustful look he gave me. I shifted him from his sitting position so that he was on his hands and knees with his backside towards me. He was breathing just as heavily as I was and I could almost feel his pleasure surging through him. I slipped the two slick fingers into his entrance, eliciting a loud, painful moan from him. I stopped instantly and watched him, concerned. "Are you okay?" I asked huskily.

"Yes, love." I slowly moved my hand back and forth, shifting from a straight back and forth pumping motion to a scissoring one so I could open him up. He arched his back and rested his head on his forearms, moaning. Once I assumed he was ready, I pressed the tip of my cock against his opening, waiting for him to object. If this truly wasn't what he wanted, then I would stop. He lifted his head up and glanced over his shoulder slightly. "Is there a problem, lover?" I sighed and arched over him, kissing his bare back. He shivered and lifted his hand. I took it and he kissed my knuckles. "Make love to me."

I pulled my hand back guided myself into him at a very slow pace. He hissed and groaned and cried out as I pushed in. I stopped to let him adjust and he panted. He bowed his head and I slid my hands over his back. "Obi?" He lifted his hand to rub his eyes furiously and I gaped at him. I hadn't meant to hurt him.

"I'm great," he whispered. I was going to protest, but he slowly moved himself to create a slow rhythm. I couldn't stop the moans that his motions elicited. When he was comfortable enough, I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my chest against his back and thrust into him. He was struggling to hold himself up and I pressed kisses against his sweat-slicked skin. I rested one hand on his pectorals and stroked his cock with my other one. "Ana-Anakin," he moaned. I rocked back and forth, thrusting deeply into him. I knew exactly how to hit his prostate and I did it a little harder with each inward thrust. His arms shook and he continued moaning my name until he came over my hand and spurted his seed onto the sheets beneath him. "Anakin!" he'd screamed. He collapsed onto his chest and I went down with him. The way he tightened as he came inevitably brought me to my release and I let my seed flow through him, simultaneously growling his name. I bit his shoulder as I rode out my orgasm and we both moaned when it was over.

I collapsed onto his back and panted, kissing his neck. Our bodies remained entwined and I rubbed his shoulders. I found the little love bite I left on his skin with my teeth and I kissed it gently. I moved despite my fatigue and slowly slid out of him. We both moaned as my cock came free from his body and I dropped onto my side beside him. He rolled over and pressed his back to my chest and I slid my arm over his waist. "How do you feel?"

He laughed quietly and grabbed my hand, kissing my knuckles. "I feel amazing." I raised an eyebrow. Did he really? "I've lost every ounce of virginity to you and that makes me overwhelmingly happy, Anakin." I kissed his sweaty neck and smiled.

"I'm glad you're happy."

He turned over, obviously not wanting me to spoon him anymore. He pressed his chest against mine and stared up at me lovingly. "Are _you _happy, Ani?"

I took his hand in mine and I was actually able to feel his blazing hot skin. "I am," I said quietly, smiling widely. "I'm happier than I've ever been because I have you." He lifted himself up to pull the blanket over us and glanced at the clock while he did so. "Merry Christmas, Obi," I said happily, my eyes drooping.

"Merry Christmas, my Anakin," he whispered, pressing his lips against my forehead. He stroked my hair and cuddled with me when he laid back down.

Merry Christmas, indeed.

**A/N: This is just a short note to let you all know that I appreciate all of the reviews you've left me and that I altered a minor detail in a few chapters. Anakin's hand, prior to the change I made to five chapters today, was cybernetic. Instead of being cybernetic, it's real, but scarred. I didn't really like the idea of him having a mechno in a modern setting, so I changed it. Hope you liked this chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

Christmas morning went very well. We stayed up and talked until two and cuddled even as we slept. My body ached from the lovemaking, but I was overjoyed. I had finally manned up enough to let Anakin take me. It was such a startling yet enjoyable sensation to have him penetrate me. His warm fingers opened me in preparation of being filled by his warm cock. We were both only partially dressed and I was hungering for him to take me again. It was odd because I never thought I'd want someone to take me this badly. I never thought I'd _crave _that kind of pleasurable pain.

We decided to lie in bed a little longer after we'd showered and he'd willingly complied. I held him on my chest and held his left hand in my right. My left hand rested on his warm back and I traced the scars I could feel. He cringed every now and then and I would reassure him that everything was fine. I kissed his forehead when he shivered after I'd touched one of his sensitive scars. "Hey, Obi?" he whispered after several minutes of silence. He nuzzled his face against my chest and I locked onto his face.

"Yes, my love?"

He pushed himself up a bit to look up at me and gave me a sad smile. "I love you very much." I lifted my hand from his and stroked his face gently.

"I love you just as much." He just kept giving me that tiny smile and it hurt my heart. "What's wrong?"

He sighed and rolled over entirely and we were chest to chest now. He stroked the sides of my face gently and kept his eyes away from mine. It was beginning to worry me when he remained silent. Had I done something wrong? "I…I'm not just a quick fuck for you, right?" Well, I could see why he didn't want to keep eye contact with me.

"How could you possibly think you are?" I sounded as bewildered as I felt. I loved the man. _No._ I _love _the man. There was no past tense. I loved him six months ago and I still love him now. We hadn't even begun making love until recently and I was actually disappointed in myself for not knowing what I'd been missing out on. This man has the body of a god. I stroked his cheek and he sighed, bowing his head.

"I don't know. I just…" He trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Sometimes I feel like I'm just not good enough or I don't make you _happy _enough." I flew up into a sitting position and shifted him quickly so that we were still comfortable. His legs ran past my waist towards the pillows and I rested my hands on his sides, staring directly into his shimmering, blue eyes.

"Don't you _ever _think you don't make me happy," I whispered firmly, squeezing his sides a little. His face flushed a light shade of red and he smiled a little. I pressed a few kisses against his throat and listened to him moan quietly. "If you didn't make me happy, you and I wouldn't be together right now, Ani." It was true. If I wasn't happy, I would have told him by now rather than have led him on. I believed he deserved far better than to be led on. Luckily, I _do _love this sweetheart of a man.

"I should know that by now," he said quietly.

I nipped at his Adam's apple gently. "Yes. You _should._" I twisted us around so that I was hovering above him and he was breathlessly staring up at me. "I love you, Anakin. You make me _very _happy. You made me happy _before _we began making love. You _still _make me happy even when we aren't exactly… Well, when we don't agree on some things."

"You make me so happy." He said it with so much sincerity that my heart actually warmed up at the sweet look he was giving me. I kissed his forehead and when I pulled back to stare into his gorgeous eyes, his lips devoured mine. His fingers found themselves tangled in my disheveled hair and our eyes were closed. Warmth radiated between us and it felt like a kiss that would last a lifetime.

We parted for breath and I pressed my lips against his jaw, loving the way he laughed quietly and breathlessly. "It's my job as your boyfriend to make you happy, Ani. I would be failing miserably if I did anything _but._" He only responded with a huge smile. Well, until his stomach growled and he flailed to stop it. I chuckled and kissed his nose. "Let's eat, lover."

He laughed and followed me as I threw the blanket back and slid off of the bed. I grabbed the robe I'd received as a birthday present from him and slipped it on before grabbing one of my sweaters to toss back at him. He chuckled a little as I turned around to watch him pull the sweater on. I knew he liked wearing my clothes. He liked how they smelled like me and I teased him with the idea of him changing the scent of my clothes.

We stepped out of our bedroom to see Shmi watching television. Our dinner of last night that had not been eaten had been cleaned up and _hopefully _saved for later. I took his hand and led him into the kitchen so we could begin breakfast. "Can I help?" he asked tentatively. I smiled at him and rubbed his chest.

"Of course you can. You made dinner last night and didn't burn it, lover, so I'm sure breakfast won't be an issue."

He smirked. "I didn't burn it, but that doesn't mean I didn't fuck it up somehow." I rolled my eyes at him. Leave it to him to doubt just about everything he does. "We didn't get to try it, so I don't know if it was good or not."

"Then we'll just have to cook it again, won't we?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "It took _days _to do it the first time." He pressed himself against me and swallowed me up in his arms for a light embrace.

I saw his mother smiling at us and she knew things had gotten better during the night. I rubbed his back and he pressed his lips against my neck. It helped that we'd had time to talk last night. He hadn't gone to sleep before I got home. The only flaw of the night had been his smoking. He knew I hated it, but he continued doing it. He only did it when his thoughts were bothering him more than he could handle. "I love you, Ani," I whispered into his hair.

"I love you, too."

Shmi joined us in the kitchen as Anakin pulled away to stroke my beard. "Good morning, boys," she said cheekily. She moved closer to Anakin and got onto her toes to kiss his cheek, and then she moved to do the same to me. "You both seem to be doing better."

Anakin smiled at me and I gently rubbed up and down his arm. "We're doing much better," I said, returning his smile. His blue eyes mesmerized me. It was funny how I almost always got lost in them. They made me forget all the pains and arguments and anything else that brought our relationship down. His eyes were my anchor.

"I could hear that." Both my and Anakin's eyes widened as we focused solely on her. Hadn't she said she wouldn't listen to us last night? I felt the heat rise in my face and I saw it rise in his. Well, that was embarrassing. "You two are so adorable."

"_Mom!_" Anakin cried out in exasperation. His mouth was hanging open in disbelief and his light shade of embarrassment darkened further. As amusing as his reaction was, I found it a little…awkward that she'd been listening in on us. We'd both been very gentle and spoke soothingly to one another, but that was intimacy meant to stay between the two of us.

Shmi giggled, which only made him even more exasperated. "Sweetie, you're not doing anything I haven't done before."

I snorted quietly and he threw his hands up. "_Mom,_ I do _not _need to know about your sex life!" She rolled her eyes and his shoulders sagged. "God, this is too awkward. We need to get you a new place." I knew he was teasing her, but I don't think _she _knew. She gave him such a hurt look and my heart clenched when he realized that what he'd intended on meaning hadn't exactly gotten through to her. "Mom, you know I–"

"You're right, honey. You're old enough to live without me." He frowned and took a step towards her, but she backed away and he froze, tensing up. "I'll go out for a little bit and let you two have the house."

"Mom, it's Christmas," he whispered. "I don't want you to leave." She shook her head and waved his words off and that seemed to make him feel worse, which was understandable, even if he'd said the wrong thing. She gathered up her winter jacket and pulled her boots on and took the keys to her car, leaving us alone.

Anakin backed up against the counter and slid down to the floor, still frowning deeply. I knelt beside him and took his hand in both of mine. "She knows you didn't mean that, Ani. She'll come around. Just wait." He gave me his '_whatever_' shrug and I pressed my lips against his hair. "She's your mom. She loves you and she knows you love her." Again, the shrug. "Don't make me fuck you on the kitchen floor," I whispered in his ear. I'd been hoping he'd find that funny or at least somewhat amusing. It worked on me when he did that, but he sounded far more seductive than I did.

"I'm not in the mood for sex, Obi-Wan." He ripped his hand out of mine and went into his defensive mode. I sighed and moved to sit in a comfortable position beside him. He knew I was here for him. I didn't have to remind him of that. I would wait for him to talk to me because he always did. He was absolutely rigid beside me and it only took him roughly two minutes to give up and lean against me. "I wanted us to celebrate Christmas together and I made her leave."

I wrapped my left arm around his shoulders and rubbed my thumb over his neck as I spoke softly to him. "She will come back and we'll exchange gifts and such." He sighed heavily. "Love, don't do this to yourself. You two are so close. I highly doubt she'll push you away just for saying she needs a place of her own."

"She's always taken this weird interest in my sex life and it's kind of disturbing." He paused and I could feel that he was hesitating. "When I had sex while I was living at home, my…boyfriends…weren't exactly quiet." I rested my cheek on the crown of his head. "It hurt, so I wasn't quiet either. Mom always had a question and it always made me feel awkward, which is why I started having sex at the boyfriend's place instead of my room."

I raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did she ask you?"

"Awkward shit like '_how did it feel?_' or '_did you like it?_'" He shuddered. "Sometimes even '_was he good?_'"

"Well," I said, clearing my throat. Thank God I didn't have anyone to do that to _me._ Well, I hadn't had sex at that age regardless, but I still wouldn't feel very comfortable having someone ask such personal things. "I understand what you're saying now."

"I miss mom already," he said solemnly.

"Let's get your mind off of things for a little bit. How does that sound?" I offered. I'd do anything to see him smile right now, even if it was only a _little _bit. Any smile would do.

He sighed and bounced off of me. "Okay, let's go have sex." I grabbed his hand after he stood up and he looked down at me. "That's what you want, isn't it?"

"I was thinking you and I could cuddle on the couch actually." I smiled up at him and the frown softened and slowly turned into a small smile. "You know, holding each other close and kissing hands and whispering affectionate, sexy words."

He laughed and pulled me up. "All right, all right. We can cuddle." He caressed my face before an invisible light bulb appeared over his head. "Go into the living room. I'll be out in a sec, love." He darted off into our bedroom and I cocked an eyebrow. The man was always up to something when I wanted to hold him.

I went into the room and sat down on the couch, sitting in the middle with my arms hanging over the back of it. I'd let him choose the side we laid on when he came back out. He took several minutes and I began to worry. "Ani, what–"

"Ta-da!" he practically yelled as he burst out of our bedroom with just about a gazillion heavy blankets. I gave him an amused look and he came over to me, taking his seat to my right. He grinned widely at me and I wondered where he was going with this.

"Would you care to explain this to me, my love?"

"Come lay with me," he said softly. I couldn't resist that and I crawled on top of him rather than lying behind him like I would if we were watching a movie together. He chuckled and pulled all the blankets over us. When he was thoroughly satisfied with his work, he kissed me. "We're the only two people in the world right now."

I smirked. "It took a boat full of blankets to bring you to this conclusion?" He rolled his eyes. "Oh, my sweet, silly Anakin."

"Well, I'm fucking cold, too," he said with a small laugh. _That _seemed more like an Anakin kind of response. "I feel like I'm in a freezer! Don't you?"

I rubbed over his pectorals with one hand and raised an eyebrow in what I _hoped _was a seductive manner. "How could I be cold with such a _hot _boy like you around?" He moaned when I played with his nipple through his shirt. "My hot, _bad_ boy," I whispered, pressing my lips against his.

"I knew you wanted sex," he murmured around our lips. He didn't seem too upset by that, even though I really wasn't thinking about sex at the moment. I was now, of course, but I hadn't been! I felt his hardened member pressed against my belly and I pulled away to smile at him. He was breathless, but happier. "Please, fuck me."

"Please, fuck me?" I teased.

"I get straight to the point here, mister!"

"_Oh,_ I _know _you do, young man." His hips lurched forward and clashed against my body. I slid one hand down to his thigh and gently pushed down. "Patience," I whispered, smirking. He hated it when I would tease him, but he secretly loved and enjoyed it as well. He gave me a mock glare and rocked his hips up against me again. I pushed him back down onto the couch again and he growled lowly. "Have I an animal to tame or a lover to make love to?"

He surged forward and nipped at my neck. "How about a little bit of _both?_"

"Mm," I moaned unintentionally. He'd never acted like this. Then again, neither had I. "You feisty, little thing," I said huskily.

"God, will you two just _fuck _already? The foreplay is boring."

We both jumped and I, no joke, fell off of the couch, crying out in surprise. The blankets flew away from the two of us and we found a very amused Quinlan resting on the back of the couch. "You fucking bastard!" I yelled. Anakin's face had gone tomato red and he was leaning over the couch, trying to pull a blanket over his visible erection subtly.

Quinlan bellowed with laughter and leapt over the couch, promptly falling on my embarrassed lover. "Gah!" he cried out as Quin squished him into the couch.

"Would you be so kind as to get the hell off of my boyfriend _and _our couch?"

"Awe, but I was hoping we could have a threesome." He pushed himself up to hover over Anakin who was now fully lying on his stomach. His eyes were widened and he stared at me, silently begging for me to get the psycho away from him. He slid his hand over Anakin's back and Anakin immediately flew up, diving off of the couch to haphazardly land on the carpeted floor. "You guys are no fun."

We both stared at him for a moment. Anakin stood up and ran over to the front door to shut it and lock it. He was shivering and I grabbed one of the lighter blankets he'd brought out. I stood and went to drape it over his shoulders and he gripped the front of it, wrapping himself up tightly. "Quin, what are you doing here and how the _hell _did you get in?" I asked pointedly.

He shrugged. "Door was unlocked and I wanted to visit my two favorite men on Christmas. Is that a crime, Officer Kenobi?"

"Don't be a smart ass."

"Fine," he said stubbornly, smiling slyly at Anakin. "He's the one with the good ass though, right?" He wiggled his eyebrows and Anakin's jaw tightened a bit. "Kid, is Obi's tight ass personality rubbing off on you now?"

"No," he began quietly. "His ass is cute. Don't knock it unless you've seen it." He winked at me and I was baffled by that. He was on Quinlan's _idiot_ side now.

"I have seen it."

"It's cute," Anakin repeated.

I smacked his chest roughly before hitting Quin upside the back of his head. "Knock it off, you two." I admit, I was _very _flustered by that, but I was also turned on by Anakin thinking I had a cute ass. Never did I think I'd have my rear described in such a way.

"I come bearing gracious gifts!" Quin declared after several awkward moments of Quin and Anakin both looking at me like hungry lions. The former was now grinning widely. He shot Anakin a quick glance, muttering, "I hope your mom isn't home."

_Oh, no…_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: There's a sex scene towards the end of the chapter. Kudos to Meddlesome for correctly guessing what Quin's gift to Obi and Ani was, haha!**

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I stared at the unwrapped box in Obi-Wan's lap and he looked mortified. I knew how this was going to end. He'd probably go off on a rant about how uncivilized Quin's gifts were. I was amused, but I felt slightly awkward. Thank God mom wasn't home to see this. She would have made things worse...

Obi-Wan finally cleared his throat. "Are you implying that we are eunuchs?" he asked with the most straight face I have ever seen. I smiled a little and looked down at him since he was sitting in front of the couch I was on.

Quin laughed heartily. Obi-Wan was so far from amused right now. "Do you like them?"

"You gave us a bright, red _dildo._" Quin could not stop laughing. It made Obi even more embarrassed. "You know damn well that we each have a working penis. What the hell are we going to do with this..." He gestured towards it in disgust. "...this _thing?_"

"Okay, so maybe that doesn't work for you." He shifted closer to Obi-Wan and pulled out another 'offending' item. "Nipples," he said with a smirk, dangling the clamps in front of my poor Obi's face. I felt awkward because I have used these before. My sweet virgin had never had things like this anywhere near him. "Cock," he said after replacing the clamps to pull out a ring.

I palmed my face and Obi-Wan gagged. "Anakin and I are perfectly happy having sex the way we have been," he countered hurriedly.

Quin shrugged. "Just giving you guys some variety."

"Anakin, tell me you–"

"Don't ask me to answer that," I whispered. Of course I was on his side. I just happened to like the idea of using the clamps and ring. He looked betrayed and I forced my eyes away from him.

"You're both big boys," Quin said. "Stop acting like the idea of tying Anakin to the bed and ravaging his sweet–"

"We _don't _need them, Quin!" He yelled and that startled us both. He glared at his best friend before shooting me a quick glance. "Put them in the box and put the box somewhere I'll never find it." I swallowed hard and nodded, immediately taking the items from Quin and promptly stuffing them into the box again. I left the living room and went into the back hall, setting it on top of the shelf. It was too high for Obi-Wan to reach, so it was perfect.

I had the feeling that his repulsion with the toys had to do with my past sexual encounters. He saw those toys as BDSM and I knew he'd never use them on me. He said he loved me too much to hurt me as a way to bring himself off. He didn't like hurting me when we made love, especially the few days when angry sex was the only sexual relief we had in each other's presence. He'd unintentionally been too rough and I'd cried, which made me feel as pathetic as I felt just thinking about it.

I sighed and started heading back towards the living room. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," Quin said sincerely. "I didn't know. I truly am sorry and I hope you can both forgive me. I didn't intentionally try to piss you off. I...I had no idea."

I bit my lip. Obi-Wan told him, so it was inevitable that I would go out there and receive Quin's pitiful smile. I didn't need pity. Yes, bad things happened in the past, but that's all they are. _Past._ I'm living in the here and now and my constant is Obi. I could forget all of my past problems because of him and he accepted me despite them. "It's fine, Quin. I just...I don't want to lose him. I lost Qui-Gon to a bullet. I can't lose Anakin to my selfishness. I can't hurt him." Selfishness? How would he be selfish? I knew he didn't want to use the toys, but...selfish? "I love him too much," he whispered. "If I lose him, I don't know what I'll do."

"You won't lose the kid, Wan. He's in it for the long run. You both are." I heard him clap Obi-Wan's shoulder and I could only imagine his grimace as Quin grinned widely. "He's a good man, as are you."

I smiled a little. "He's been gone too long," Obi-Wan said worriedly. I heard him leap from the couch and I immediately moved to walk into the living room. He looked relieved and stood until I was sitting on the couch, then he sat down again. "Did you find a good hiding place for it?"

"Mhm." I risked a glance at Quinlan and saw the look of pity in his eyes. I frowned and shifted my eyes to the white carpet. I didn't want to be pitied. I told Obi-Wan everything and answered additional questions he asked in a nonchalant way because I didn't _want _pity. If I hadn't gone through everything I did, I may not be here with Obi-Wan right now. That's how I chose to look at it. I was abused verbally and physically, used, cheated on, lied to, and I even lost Tru. If I _wasn't _meant to find someone as beautiful and loving as Obi-Wan, then I wouldn't have gone through all of that.

I didn't realize that Obi's hand was absentmindedly stroking my thigh until Quinlan spoke. "Kid–" He glanced at Obi-Wan's serious face and I looked at Quin. "Anakin," he corrected. "I'm very sorry for my inconsideration. I didn't mean to offend you."

"Stop looking at me like that," I muttered. Obi's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. At least he knew something was bothering me now. It wasn't the toys or even the fact that Quin thought he'd offended me. It was just that damn look of pity that got to me. I was tired of that look. I'd gotten it too much in high school and I couldn't take it anymore. When I went to school every day, I would always get those looks from my friends who knew part of my story as well as teachers who thought they could help.

I'd overdosed on my antidepressant pills when I was seventeen because those looks got to me. Everyone at the school found out about it since I was gone for about six months with treatments, counseling, and suicide watch. I couldn't tell Obi-Wan _that_ just yet. I was too scared to. Yes, he accepted me for all of the other things I did. He accepted the alcohol, the cutting, the swearing, and the smoking to some extent though he wanted me to try to stop. Obi-Wan accepted me for the fucked up human being that I am. If that's not love, I don't know what is. "Ani?" he whispered.

Even Quin looked shocked. "Just...stop. I know I'm fucked up, okay? I don't need this bullshit."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Obi-Wan said hurriedly, grabbing me as though I would run away right this moment. His arms were around me and his head was leaned against my shoulder. "You are _not _fucked up. I love you for who you are and Quin cares about you, too."

I remained silent and Quin shifted closer to us. He rested a hand on my other shoulder and tried to give me a reassuring smile. "Obi's right, kiddo."

I sighed and Obi-Wan lifted his head, pressing his lips against the corner of my mouth. "I love you, Anakin. I love you so much." He started kissing down from my lips until I finally gave up and smothered his lips with my own. He moaned into my mouth and gripped my hips tightly.

A separate hand and mouth was on my neck and I jerked back at the same time Obi-Wan did. "Awe, come on!"

"Quin!" we shouted simultaneously. He smirked and Obi-Wan pulled me closer to him. I pressed my hand up against his chest and sighed. He kissed my hair, and then nuzzled his face against it.

"So did you guys get _me_ anything for Christmas?" Quinlan asked cheerfully. In fact, Obi-Wan and I _had _gone shopping for him. Quinlan kept telling us what exactly he wanted, and so we both went out of our way to buy the best of the best.

"Yeah, one sec," I replied. Obi-Wan smiled as I got up and went into our bedroom. I grabbed the box from the closet and smirked. Obi-Wan had been very uncomfortable while we were in that store and we'd definitely received a few questionable glances as we walked out hand in hand with the gift.

I returned with the box, grinning. As soon as I handed it to him, he tore into it and I took my place on Obi-Wan's lap. He was sitting in the middle of the living room now. He rubbed my hip lightly, knowing it was the one that held the worst scars. I felt guilty for that. He dealt with every little fault I had. What exactly was I doing for him? What _could_ I possibly do for him? Being sixteen years his junior, I wasn't exactly up to his level yet. Most of the music he liked was made before I was born and I _tried _so hard to like it, too. I agree that a portion of it was good, but... There were some songs that just should not have been written, or released.

When Quin finished, he grinned widely and his eyes lit up. He immediately knew that the idea for his gift had been mine. Obi-Wan would _never _go into a store to buy _that._ "Oh, kid, you know me so well." I chuckled and he pulled out one of the cases. "Where the _hell_ did you get these anyway?"

"I...may or may not know someone in the industry."

His jaw dropped. "No way." I laughed a bit and he was awed. "Tell me who." I shook my head and he gave me a very serious look, silently asking me to tell him. I just sat there and smiled at him. That was personal information that I wasn't willing to share with anyone, which I had sworn to said someone that I wouldn't release their information. "Oh, come on, Anakin! Tell me already!"

"Sorry, man," I said, shrugging. "Some things need to be kept anonymous."

He rolled his eyes, then got up and moved closer to me. I was expecting a high five or a hug. _Dumbass. _You do _not _assume _anything _when it comes to Quinlan fucking Vos. I was not expecting him to grab the sides of my face and yank me into a bruising kiss. It was quick, thankfully, and Obi-Wan was bristled almost immediately, his arms winding around me possessively. "Kid, you are one _amazing_ guy."

I chuckled and wiped his saliva off of my lips. He messed up my hair before he sat back down. Obi-Wan gaped at him, at a loss for words. I leaned back against him and his hand slid up my chest slightly. "My boyfriend is amazing because he knows a _porn star?_" he asked incredulously. I took the hand he'd placed on my chest and held it, craning my neck to look up at him. He sighed and rested his chin on the crown of my head.

He hated that he was only allowed this opportunity when I leaned against him like this or when he was lying on my back in bed. My height has caused him so much grief. He can hardly sneak up behind me and bite my neck and that frustrates him. Instead, he sneaks up behind me and bites my shoulder, which promptly leads us right into the bedroom.

"You've got your own little porn star right here at–" The pillow Obi-Wan had been sitting on was shifted out from underneath him quickly and simultaneously _launched _at Quin, hitting him directly in the face. "Seriously, Obi?" he whined. Obi-Wan only sighed.

•◊•

Mom almost immediately went to her bedroom, only giving me a smile in passing as soon as she came home. Obi and I had dinner with Quin and Obi-Wan sent him home _as soon_ as it was over with. I sat on the couch silently for a few minutes, mulling over what I should say to mom. Obi-Wan, having finished cleaning the pots and pans as he said he'd do if I emptied and filled the dishwasher, sank to his knees in front of me and rested his hands on my thighs. "Why don't you come with me, Anakin?" he asked sweetly. "I still have to give you your gift." I gave him a small smile when he brushed his knuckles over my cheek. I nodded and he took my hands, thus lifting me from the couch as he rose from the floor. He led me towards our bedroom and pulled out a small box from his pants drawer. He gave me a nervous smile as he placed it in my palm.

I could see a slight panic in his eyes. He seemed to be second guessing his gift, but I'm sure I would _love _it. I clutched his tiny box in my hand and grabbed one of my own from beneath my pillow. I swiftly turned to mimic his actions, placing my gift to him in his palm. We silently agreed that we would open them together, and so we did.

My lips parted as I pulled out a silver locket. It was _beautiful._ I set the box down and held the locket in my hand, carefully opening it. I felt his eyes on me as my own began to water. There was a picture of us kissing as the sun set in front of us. We were merely silhouettes, but it was definitely the two of us. I remembered that day, too. We went to the beach before the icy winter set in. He'd picked me up and twirled me around, then we fell into the water, laughing. I chuckled and realized that mom must've taken the picture for us.

I looked up at him to see him smiling, my silver ring to him in his hand. He was reading the words I'd had engraved into the inside circle. Lyrics from _our_ song were inside of it. He softly sang them, "_Somebody dreams about you every single night…_" He slid the ring onto his right ring finger, then came closer and held out his hands for my locket. I placed it in his palm gently and he undid the clasp, slipping his hands behind my neck to clasp it. He moved his hands over my shoulder slowly and shifted it so it rested on my collarbone. He kept one hand on my chest, just above my pounding heart. His other hand rose to stroke my cheek and I leaned into his palm, closing my eyes only for a moment.

We stared at each other in absolute silence. Lust and love burned like searing embers in his eyes. Before we realized it, I was straddling him on our bed. We kissed passionately, bruising one another with our lips. My locket dangled between us and touched his chest each time I moved my body against him.

Obi-Wan grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it up until it was off and cast away to the floor. I took a few moments myself after that to remove the offending clothing covering his upper body. As soon as we were both bare-chested, we were kissing again, just as heatedly as we had moments earlier. "I love you," I growled around his lips.

"I love you," he repeated huskily. He held my hips to keep me against him and he moaned into my mouth the moment I opened it to allow his tongue entrance. He pulled away not even a minute later to gasp for breath, pleading, "Make love to me." I could feel his hardness beneath me, but I didn't think he'd want me this quickly. _Then again…_ I slid down his body, first kissing my way down his neck, then down his sternum. I glanced up at him and his mouth was open in a silent gasp. His right hand gripped my hair and I smiled. I earned myself another moan as I sucked on his right nipple.

Teasing him was always fun. I even went as far as rubbing my erection against his leg slowly, that is, until he flipped us over. I gasped at the unexpected movement and my breath was taken away as soon as I looked into his eyes.

He stripped us both down to nothing but our skin and decided that it was time to tease _me._ He licked over the head of my cock and then blew softly on it. I shivered and moaned loudly, which then was followed up with him taking my length into his mouth. He was getting so much more comfortable with this now. I hadn't pushed him to do anything. He pushed himself and then he actually started enjoying what he was doing to me since he knew firsthand how it felt when I did the same things to him.

"O-Obi," I stuttered. I gripped the bed sheets and he looked up at me seductively, sucking slower. My breathing was ragged and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold on much longer at this rate. I had a sudden idea and I _knew _he'd be okay with it. He was asking me a while ago if there were other positions and things we could do while in bed, perhaps things that didn't include penetrating sometimes.

I released the sheets and pushed myself up, pulling him towards me. He leaned over me and I nudged his hips, to which he gave me a confused expression. He allowed me to reposition him until he was chest to abdomen with me. _Then_ he got the hint.

Without skipping a beat, he took me back into his mouth and I took him into mine. We both moaned and sucked slowly, wanting to draw this out as long as we possibly could. I loved the salty taste on him. No matter where I licked or sucked, he tasted amazing.

My hands instinctively rose to his hips and my tongue slid over his slit. I closed my eyes and bobbed my head back and forth as best I could with the damn bed beneath me. I had never done this from the bottom before, but it was pretty nice. His taste and the sensations he sent through my body were phenomenal.

I could feel his nails digging into my own hips, leaving crescent marks in their wake. He moaned again and the vibration around my cock made me inadvertently thrust up, thus gagging him. We both broke up and I started to stutter out an apology, but he interrupted me. "I'm fine, my love. I was just taken by surprise."

"I'll try not to do that again," I said, embarrassed. My face was heating up rapidly. I was ashamed to feel aroused by his gag reflex. I shouldn't _want_ to do that to him on purpose.

He laughed lightly and pressed a kiss against the tip of my cock. "Anakin," he said, and I could imagine him shaking his head with that silly smile of his, "I've been thrusting into your mouth." I was surprised by the admission because I hadn't even noticed. "Your body reacted normally. Let it."

I sighed and kissed his thigh, rubbing his hip gently. "I love you, Obi-Wan." It felt so good to say that whenever I wanted to. There was never any pressure to say those words. There was never any guilt if I said it far too much. He loved me just as much as I loved him and we would probably never get tired of hearing it from one another.

"I love you, too," he breathed. He took me in again and I moaned quietly before doing the same to him. This was the very first time we had tried this position and I was glad he wasn't repulsed by it. It wouldn't be an _everyday_ thing, but we could probably do this here and there. Holidays and birthdays were when we were at our best. Well, we had been for _his _birthday. My birthday was next month, but I _knew_ incredible birthday sex was in my future.

He actually thoroughly enjoyed himself, if his enthusiastic sucking was anything to go by. I finally realized just how deep he was sliding into my throat. How was I _not_ gagging? Well, not that I was complaining. He thrusting was becoming more and more erratic and losing its rhythm, so I knew he was close. Warmth pooled up in my stomach simultaneously. I knew just how to get him to come and I did it. I gently grazed my teeth over his head, biting as _lightly_ as I could and he nearly screamed in pleasure, bursting and releasing his seed into my mouth. I swallowed it quickly and appreciatively. His lips had once again closed around my throbbing hardness and I was panting rapidly with each suck that brought his lips just beneath the head.

He removed himself from my mouth, wanting to hear me scream his name as I always did and always would.

Of course, I hadn't counted on the fucking door opening the moment I orgasmed and cried out his name. _That _only led to my inevitable and unavoidable _hell._


End file.
